4 Ways to Help Your Employees Be Healthier and Happier

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• May 13, 2014
• By Jamie Walker
• 2 Comments

Balance: we all need it. But some workplaces struggle to find this balance, leaving hardworking employees feeling worn out and unproductive. A movement for corporate wellness has begun with policies designed to promote wellness in the workplace and increase employee efficiency.

At SweatGuru, we take specific steps to ensure our office environment is both health- and fitness-oriented while maintaining a high level of workplace productivity. Here are a few of the ways we like to keep our office feeling fit, fresh and energized:

1. Make happy hour fitness hour

Even though schmoozing and drinking with your coworkers can be enjoyable and relaxing, ditch the booze and make your weekly office happy hour more fitness oriented. We have weekly (and sometimes more frequent) sessions of office fitness — some type of group fitness class available for the entire office and guests during the workday.

Not only is it a great form of stress relief for everyone involved, but when you’re sweating it out and laughing with your coworkers at a yoga studio or spin class, you’re also creating a tighter bond than you would having a few drinks at a local watering hole. If you can get through the hardest parts of spin together, your team can do anything.

2. Healthy rewards

There are always positive and healthy ways to reward your team for work well done. One of our favorite ways to do this is to have a local health-conscious chef come in and prepare a healthy lunch for us.

It’s great not to have to worry about where your lunch is coming from that day, and huddling around a bountiful feast of fresh, healthy food is also a surefire way to put everyone in a great mood. Plus, our chefs usually share healthy eating tips and recipes while we eat, making it easier to recreate everything ourselves.

3. Snack better

This is one of the easiest ways to make a positive change when it comes to the health and productivity of your employees. The better you eat, the more clearly you think, so swap out those heavily processed snack room foods for healthier (and tastier!) options.

Some choices include healthy homemade sweets, fruits and veggies, whole grain snack foods and trail mix. You’d be surprised at what a positive difference it can make. A healthy brain is a happy brain, so kick that junk food to the curb and try some healthier options. (Click here to tweet this thought.)

4. Encourage exercise

Nothing improves cognitive ability like physical activity. If you want your employees to think, get them active. Simple things like promoting workplace wellness challenges (e.g., first employee to log 1,000 steps each day wins a small prize) can go a long way. Incentivize fitness.

Make your employees want to be fit, not just because of the reward, but also because of the end result. Offer to subsidize a weekly fitness class or upcoming fitness event. Your employees will be grateful, and it’ll lay the groundwork to a fit and healthy office. Remember, active employees work better and feel better.

Corporate wellness doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, and it’s nothing to be afraid of. It starts with healthy practices, implemented from the top down. Don’t be afraid to lead by example. Your employees will eventually follow.

Jamie Walker is the CEO and co-founder of SweatGuru, helping consumers book and manage fitness classes online. She is a yoga instructor and personal trainer.

Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.