When starting a new job, a coworker deftly warned me—“Watch what you eat here. This place is worse that freshman 15.” With so many meetings hosted in the space, there seemed to be endless opportunities to snack. Match that with sitting all day, and it became clear—my job was not great for my health.
But, more and more companies are countering that culture, including us here at the Chamber. Here are a few easy ways you can make your office healthier today.
- Have a plan. Every office is different, and it’s important to understand the needs of your employees and tailor opportunities and incentives around those needs. What outcomes do you hope to see by encouraging wellness? Putting together a team of staff to help draft and implement that plan encourages buy-in. The Chamber’s wellness team meets monthly to set priorities.
- Get moving. Encouraging walking meetings over sitting around a conference table or sending an email to your team to get up and stretch or take a break (or roll out a stretch-break app) are no-cost reminders that can get everyone moving. You can also encourage being active during the day by offering bike storage or providing a discount or covering the cost of a mass transit pass. And, if you’re looking to make a big change, consider upgrading your desks. Giving employees the opportunity to stand reduces their risk for obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among others.
- Say goodbye to sodas and sweets. Offer healthy snacks in break rooms, like a fruit basket. Each week the Chamber gets fresh fruit for staff and guests from FruitRevival. Also consider removing sodas from meetings and vending machines and replacing with healthier options. If you have a cafeteria or often cater meals and events, LiveWell Colorado has tips for ensuring those meals do more than rack up calories.
- Have an employee assistance program. Mental health is an important part of any wellness plan. Fourteen percent of Colorado adults reported poor mental health eight or more days in the past month, according to the Colorado Health Foundation. It’s estimated that 217 million workdays are missed—in part or completely—in the U.S. each year because of poor mental health. For every dollar invested into an EAP, it’s estimated that there are more than $5 million returned.
- Reward your team. Whether it’s providing a healthy lunch, gift cards or time off, letting your team know that you see them reaching their goals—and that it makes a difference in your workplace—is important to keeping people motivated to think about wellness year-round.
Find out more about the impact that digital health—tech focused tools to improve our health—is having on Colorado’s economy and workplaces Friday on our blog and in our quarterly magazine, Business Altitude.
Sara Crocker is the communications manager for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and she wrote this post while at her standing desk.
