When you’re spending a lot of time at work, it’s important that both employees and employers have health and wellbeing as a priority. This is particularly important in winter when the days are darker, it’s harder to motivate yourself to exercise and there are lots of germs flying around.
We’ve listed a couple of easy ways both employees and employers can really improve the health and wellbeing of the whole office below:
1. Get up and move
Think about how you can move around your workplace. Maybe you can take the stairs or walk over to a colleague’s desk instead of emailing them? The layout of an office is important in this. Location of desks, meeting rooms and windows are all things that fit-out companies can help with.
2. Bring your lunch to work
One of the easiest ways to stay healthy is to bring your lunch to work with you. It’s cheap and easy to pop last night’s leftovers into some tupperware and bring it with you. For employers, consider how your employees will want to use the communal spaces you’ve fitted out and provide social areas for employees to eat lunch away from their desk.
3. Drink water
Hydration is key! When you’re in an air-conditioned office, rushing from meeting to meeting, you can easily forget to drink enough water but this means you can become dehydrated. Being dehydrated can make you feel drowsy and hungry, when all you need to perk up is to keep on top of your two litres a day! During fit out or refurbishment, cold filtered water taps can be a great addition to any office kitchen.
4. Have some green around you
If you have a permanent desk at work, it’s worthwhile adding some green to your space! Having plants in office spaces is proven to improve mental health. In winter, you could use a fake plant or even add a mini Christmas tree for some festive cheer. Employers should think about where in an office they can add greenery. Some larger companies might be able to provide green roofs and walls!
5. Stay home if you are ill
It’s easy to catch something in winter. If you’re ill, you really should stay at home. While it might seem like you should go to work, most employers would actually prefer if you ensured you’re 100% before returning to the workplace.
