Workplace Wellness: How To Create A Healthier Working Environment

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We aren’t saying your workplace is a sweatshop, but there may be similarities. Working conditions may not adhere to every health and safety standard, and the hours you work may be above and beyond what should normally be expected. There may also be problems inherent in the design of your workplace, limiting your productivity and adding to your stress levels. If you are constantly taking sick days, or you dread coming into work each day, changes need to be made. In this article, we will look at the workplace and give you a few suggestions on creating a happier and healthier working environment.

Promote a cleaner atmosphere

From dust to chemical smells, the air we breathe can be damaging to our health. According to statistics, indoor air pollution is responsible for a number of health conditions, from respiratory infections to lung disease. So what can we do about it? Well, providing more ventilation is a start, such as opening more windows to allow in clean and fresh air. Then, as highlighted in this article at Fanappic, air purifiers can play a huge part in promoting a better atmosphere, removing damaging toxins from the air. Green plants can also benefit our health in this way, acting as a natural air purifier, as well as having the added bonus of aesthetic pleasure to ease stressed-out minds.

Look for opportunities to exercise

For those of you working in an office environment, you will understand how sitting down at a desk and computer all day can be damaging to your health. With the lack of exercise, your body will become tired and worn, and your eyes will become strained through endless hours looking at a computer screen. So it’s important to find ways to exercise throughout the day. It can help you reduce stress. This should begin with the daily commute, travelling to work by foot or bicycle to better start the day. Then, during break times, take the opportunity to stretch your legs, whether that’s across the office or by taking some time outdoors during lunch. Many employers encourage exercise in other ways, such as having sports equipment in the break room (such as a ping-pong table) and through encouraging deskercise, workout exercises that can take place while seated.

Encourage healthy eating

When unhealthy food is within easy reach, it’s no wonder we fall prey to temptation. From unhealthy snack machines to boxes of doughnuts, we aren’t doing our energy levels or waistlines any good every time we opt for something terrible for our health. A healthier working environment needs to promote healthy eating, with bowls of fruit and nuts, healthier snack machines, and an encouragement to eat a better diet during lunchtime. Not only will this improve our overall health, but it will also positively affect productivity levels, as healthier foods provide a mental and physical boost to us during our working day.

Improve workplace design

A well-designed workplace should be both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable to work in. The colour scheme should be dynamic, with bright and attractive colors to please the senses, and decent lighting needs to be in place to alleviate eye strain and headaches. Considering many of us do sit down a lot during the day as part of our job, ergonomic seating is a worthwhile investment to improve our bodily posture, and desks or equipment needs to be spread out to avoid health and safety disasters. By focusing on the design elements, coming into work will be a more pleasurable experience, instead of the dirge it can become, especially when dealing with those Monday morning blues.

Finally

We have offered you some simple tips in improving your workplace environment. Should you be in a leadership position, you should implement our suggestions at your nearest opportunity. If, on the other hand, you are a humble employee, it could be worth posting a link to this article to your employer’s email address. Thanks for reading.