Our bodies spend over forty hours a week at work, and that can take a toll on our muscles and joints. Whether your teams are on a manufacturing line, behind the desk or somewhere in between, companies have solutions to boost productivity in the workplace while alleviating aches and pains to help employees thrive at work.
Importance of Ergonomics
Ergonomic furniture is crucial for preventing discomfort and long-term health issues. The best furniture options are adjustable and let each person find what’s right for them throughout the workday. Here are popular ways to incorporate ergonomics into your workplace:
Adjustable Chairs: An ergonomic chair supports the natural curve of the spine for a more comfortable working environment.
Sit-Stand Desks: Also called adjustable desks or standing desks, this style of desk allows employees to alternate between sitting and standing to reduce the risks associated with prolonged sitting.
Office Equipment Stipend: For remote and hybrid team members, consider offering a stipend to upgrade home workspaces. This can include purchasing an ergonomic chair or standing desk, or other ways to improve the overall comfort of their at-home workspace.
Promoting Work-Life Balance
Just as we care for the body, employers also must pay attention to how we care for the whole person behind the desk. Promoting a healthy work-life balance helps to reduce stress on and off the clock, and lets us all show up our best. The happier and more connected your team is off the clock, the more likely they’ll succeed at work.
Flexible Work Hours
Offering flexible work hours for projects that allow it gives employees a chance to balance their professional and personal responsibilities more effectively. This flexibility can reduce stress and improve overall job satisfaction. It also allows each team member to tap into when they’re at their working best and tackle projects in a way that feels natural.
Remote Work Options
Allowing employees to work remotely, even part-time, can enhance their work-life balance. Ensure they have the tools and support needed to stay productive while working from home. Remote work not only creates more space in schedules by saving time on commute, but it also provides that often hard-to-find quiet time needed for project work.
Encouraging Breaks
Encourage employees to take regular breaks throughout the day. Short breaks can boost energy levels, improve focus, and prevent burnout. Whether it’s a walk, a chat with a friend, or tidying the kitchen when working from home, these breaks allow us to return to our work feeling refreshed.
Stress Management at Work
Stress can significantly impact productivity and overall well-being. It’s essential to recognize the signs of stress and take proactive measures to address it within the workplace.
Mindfulness Practices
Incorporating mindfulness practices like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga sessions can help employees manage stress. Consider offering these activities during breaks or as part of a wellness program. These practices are a great way to start a meeting or as a scheduled break for the team. We also encourage people to opt for camera off if it’s in a virtual setting so each person can truly relax.
Chair Massage Events
Offering a can be a great way to show appreciation for your team. Corporate massage appointments can help reduce stress, alleviate muscle tension, and promote relaxation, all while making your team feel supported. While a regular massage program has the biggest impact on team morale and productivity, a one-time massage event is always a great option for teams who manage multiple projects and are always rushing towards a deadline.
Fitness and Yoga Classes
Sponsoring fitness or corporate yoga classes can help employees stay active and maintain their physical health. Taking a break to move our bodies and engage with teammates in a fresh way can often lead to the spark that is needed to overcome an obstacle in a project. These activities can also serve as team-building opportunities and foster a sense of community when practiced regularly.
The First Step to a More Productive & Supportive Office
Creating programs and initiatives that keep the wellness of your employees as a top priority will ennace your team’s wellbeing, and in doing so, their efficiency. Start building your own corporate wellness plan with the help of our team at Body Techniques. Start planning your employee wellness program today!
Some days it seems like the work never stops. We rush to our desks and have a second for coffee before a tornado of meetings, emails, and impending deadlines spin us around for eight hours. The nonstop chaos Corporate America is infamous for taking a massive toll on work-life balance. The result? Employee stress continues to grow, leaving many unsure of how to keep sane amidst it all.
Encouraging team members to add small work breaks to their daily flow helps bring some peace and order to the grand scheme of things. This also improves employee wellness. Of course, more breaks at work sound fantastic, but on a day with an already overwhelming workload, what are the upsides to breaks and how can we, as employers, fit them into busy schedules?
The Benefits Of Work Breaks
Everyone would love the chance to feel a little more free at work and find time for rest, but work breaks positively affect more than our exhaustion levels. Factor in productivity increases, less stress, and ultimately higher job satisfaction and you’ll quickly wonder why it took so long to find fresh ways to empower employee wellbeing.
Boost Productivity
Taking regular breaks gives our brains the time it needs to refresh and refocus. Studies show that not only does a 5-minute break every hour improve productivity, but work accuracy goes up and fatigue goes down. With a routine break throughout the day, smaller decisions are easier to manage, and strategic prioritization of projects becomes habitual. Better focus and higher energy means a more productive work day.
Reduces Stress and Health Problems
A nonstop day at the office can be stressful; work breaks give your bodies time to decompress and relieve that pressure. In a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, taking frequent breaks can lower the risk of musculoskeletal illnesses and other physical health issues that are linked to extended sitting and computer use.
More Job Satisfaction
Having the option to take a break here and there also improves the way employees feel about their jobs. This also creates an opportunity for coworkers to get to know each other. Who knew water cooler talk actually boosted morale?
Leaving space for employees to step away from their workload is monumental in overall job satisfaction. Your team will see that you’re making steps towards helping them find their own work-life balance and want them to feel valued in the workplace. This mutual understanding will be hugely beneficial for your bottom line. According to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, businesses that offer regular breaks and flexible work schedules have lower employee turnover rates and greater levels of employee engagement.
How To Incorporate Wellness Into The Work Day
Incorporating employee wellness is as easy as adding breaks to the day (or the option to take them). Starting the conversation with your team or department leads is a great place to start this positive change to your workplace culture.
Encourage Employees To Take A Mental Health Break
“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction…It is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done,” says Tim Reider in The New York Times.
Adding breaks to the day starts with attitude. Breaks shouldn’t feel like a mistake. They’re essential recharge points that give our minds time to rev back up to full power. If you have the time to unplug for a few minutes, join your team in the break room and start getting their opinions on what they’d like to see from you, as their employer, in terms of workplace benefits and employee incentives. We’ve seen businesses in tech, healthcare, even the legal profession benefit from wellness programs such as in-office massage. It’s the perfect 15-minute break that truly helps anyone lost in their day-to-day hit the reset button!
Handle The Scheduling So Employees Can Turn On Focus Mode
While employees may hold the same job title, they have different working styles that impact the way they approach projects and deadlines. If letting employees schedule their own breaks isn’t feasible for your business model, try hosting a company-wide event and build your own stress management program! This can actually help your team because they can focus on what’s currently in their queue and not so much about, “Did I take my break yet?” They should still have the flexibility to take a five-minute break here and there, but going the extra mile to put on an appreciation event of sorts will encourage employees to meet you in the middle when it comes to workplace expectations and job engagement.
Host A Company-Wide Event To Give The Whole Office A Break!
Every company needs time to destress and relax together. Our stress management programs all take the meaning of “work break” to the next level, with corporate massage, yoga, meditation, and fitness sessions to refresh the mind, body, and soul. Ask your employer about corporate wellness packages and events to bring some calm and energy back to your office! Better yet, build your own program and we’ll give you the one-on-one help you need to customize your benefits package in a way that keeps employees healthy, happy, and prepared for whatever tomorrow might bring.
