The workplace can be a source of stress for many people. As we spend so much time in the office or working from home, it’s important we incorporate as many wellness practices into our routine as possible. This will help to reduce stress, anxiety and promote a positive work environment for everybody.
In the UK, 1 in 7 people experience mental health issues in the workplace. With high workloads, long hours, challenging targets, too much screen time and strenuous working relationships, it’s no wonder our wellness is suffering. For many of us, our physical and mental health is pushed to the side because we simply don’t have enough time or energy to think about it. However, there are lots of small changes you can start marking in the office to benefit you and everybody around you.
Whether employees work from home or in the office, here are some tips to increase wellness in the workplace.
Encourage healthy lunches using meal prep services
A simple way to show your employees you care is by providing them with healthy lunches. It’s a great perk that can help you attract and retain great talent within the company. In the modern office, more is expected from employees, so it helps to give them delicious food to help get them through the day. Not only will your employees love to receive tasty food that is good for their bodies, but they will also have improved immunity and energy levels. That means fewer sick days and more productivity.
Wellness catering services like
POW Food are able to provide tasty meals to your office or employees working from home. The meals are designed by nutritionists to ensure every ingredient is optimal for brain function and health. A lot of people in the UK eat their lunch at their desks and usually opt for non-nourishing foods like supermarket meal deals that are packed with preservatives, additives and sweeteners. By investing in healthy meal options, you’re investing in your team and your company.
You don’t need to spend a lot to keep your team healthy and happy. Getting healthy soups delivered is an affordable way to make sure your employees are nourished. You can also buy bulk healthy soups and get
soup delivery straight to your house or office to keep you stocked for the week. Soups are a great source of vitamins and nutrients, so think carrot and ginger, mushroom and black bean, or sweetcorn chowder. Soup delivery is a great way to provide hearty meals to your employees and ensure they eat food that will benefit them.
Encourage employees to take a break
If your team tends to overwork, it can often lead to burnout which isn’t conducive to a productive working environment. The more overworked your employees, the more mistakes will be made. The best work certainly can’t get done in situations where somebody just needs to take a breather. Encourage your employees to make the most of the breaks they are required to take. This can be anything from getting some fresh air at lunchtime to meditation during the day. You can find work packages that offer online exercise classes, yoga sessions and mindfulness activities.
One-third of employees don’t leave their desks and feel guilty taking a lunch break from home. Studies have shown that making use of your lunch through beneficial activities can increase afternoon productivity by 66%. This is why it’s so important to let your staff know that they deserve a quality break.
You can remind them of three steps to optimise their lunch break:
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Eat: Whether working from home or in the office, prepare a healthy meal and enjoy it in a different place besides your desk.
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Move and be mindful: Select a yoga, mindfulness or fitness class or take a walk around the block to get some fresh air without any distractions.
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Engage: Spend some time with your colleagues or friends and chat about something besides work. You can encourage this by running lunchtime quizzes or group video calls from home.
Maintain a positive work-life balance
Ensure your employees have a separate life away from work and don’t spend their downtime thinking about working or sending emails. It’s important that we all spend our weekends and evenings doing things that fulfil us and help us stay excited about life. Yoga classes, sports clubs and even drinks with friends after work is a great way to unwind and enjoy your time.
Organising regular social events with your team is the perfect way to get everyone to relax and get to know each other outside of the office. By getting your employees to build great relationships with everyone in the office, you’re ensuring a good flow of communication and a positive environment in the workplace. This will help to increase productivity and wellness because people are actually looking forward to coming to work, particularly if they’ve also spent the weekend doing fun things with their friends and family.
Communicate
Clear communication throughout the company and among your employees is a vital way to ensure wellness needs are met. It can be difficult for employees to speak up about things they are struggling with, but if you create an environment that promotes and supports positive wellbeing conversations, your employees will find it much easier to open up.
Your employees may be worried they are complaining too much about their wellbeing needs. But in reality, it’s much more important that they are open about their worries and feel comfortable enough to communicate them with you. You can organise regular check-ups with your team, and give them a space to talk about things that may be bothering them, without the risk of feeling ashamed or uncertain about any potential repercussions.
Practice mindfulness at work
When we are constantly on the go, we barely have any time to just stop and appreciate the moment. Our lives are spent being bombarded with thoughts so it’s important to find the spaces of stillness and really appreciate them. It may seem simple, but it can be hard to ground ourselves during a busy day. Our mind takes flight, we lose touch with our body and pretty soon we’re preoccupied in an obsessive cycle of thoughts.
Essentially, mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. You can practice this at any point of your day but particularly throughout your working day. You can even spend just one minute connecting with one of your senses or choosing to single-task, instead of taking on several different things at once. It’s also worth attempting to feel grateful for the fact you are sitting inside out of the rain or that you can have a delicious soup for lunch. Every moment you appreciate the little things in life, the more you’re going to be relaxed and at peace.
Your team will greatly benefit from incorporating a better office environment that favours mindfulness. Our offices are built for distraction, stopping and starting productivity everytime someone speaks to you. Prompt your employees to assign dedicated periods of time to answer emails during the day and turn off push notifications if they are distracting. It’s also good to not pile many tasks onto one person, but to give them one thing to work on at a time, since it's impossible to actually multitask.
POW Food - Nutritionist food to fuel your team
POW Food is a high-end meal delivery service providing delicious meals cultivated by nutritionists. Our meals are designed to optimise the health and well-being of office workers and create a productive and positive work environment. We use only fresh and locally-sourced food that helps improve brain function, boost immunity and aid digestion. Our meals help to improve the wellness of you and your employees so you can get through the day feeling great. We provide healthy meal delivery for both office staff and those that work from home, offering soup delivery, healthy snacks and tasty frozen meals. To learn more about our catering services,
visit our website.
