Simple ways to create a healthy workplace

There are very tangible gains to be made by encouraging healthy behaviour as an everyday part of best business practice. After all, who wouldn’t want to see fewer sick days, increased motivation and a great team atmosphere at work?

There are many relatively simple things you can do to create a healthy environment. You may already do some of them, but have a look at these three key aspects to see what else you could do to make a difference.

Your working environment

· Check that your workspace is set up well for the people working in it. Ensure that there is flexibility to adjust desk height and chair settings for people of different sizes

· Are your premises light and airy, with some control on temperature and air flow? If not, consider what you can do to change this. Air quality and temperature make a big difference

· Provide a bike rack to encourage people to bike to work

· If possible, provide shower facilities for cyclists or people who want to go out for a run at lunchtime

· Make sure there is a water cooler/s available

· Provide an inviting, separate staff room or quiet area for people to eat lunch or take a break. If there is nowhere suitable inside, provide a bench somewhere close by outside.

Your organisational culture

· Encourage people to leave their desks at lunchtimes

· Offer in-office massage, yoga or Pilates classes

· Organise team events in your office based around fitness

· Provide a fruit bowl rather than a snack box full of biscuits and slices

· Offer free eye checks regularly for those staff with high computer screen use,

· Give people time off to volunteer for local community projects.

Actively encourage healthy work practices

· Encourage people to have walk and talk meetings

· Encourage people to use stairs rather than lifts

· Suggest people park further away and walk into the workplace

· Encourage people to stand in meetings or when making phone calls

· Encourage people to stretch regularly.

As you can see, there are plenty of simple things you can do to make a big difference, both for yourself individually and for your organisation.