Employee health and wellness is inextricably linked with work productivity. The conundrum is that with the amount of time people spend at their desks in a closed office each day, the working environment can have a potentially detrimental impact on their wellbeing which in turn impacts job performance.
“Closed office environments, stress, long hours, the sedentary nature of the typical office job, limited access to healthy food at work, limited exposure to natural light and fresh air, and even the choice of desks and chairs impact employee wellbeing,” says Dr Yair Edinburg, general practitioner and spokesperson for the Ubuntu Family Health Centre in Sandton.
“It is a vicious cycle where unhealthy work environments, create unhealthy employees who are expected to be productive, but find they can’t be.”
He says it is important for companies – and their employees – to understand the crucial link between employee wellness and a healthy, productive and well-functioning workforce.
“A lack of motivation leads to higher absenteeism and therefore poor productivity as well as additional stress on those taking on the responsibilities of the absent employee, it is thus time to look at the environment and open up the lines of communication. Often people have concerns or questions about their physical health, fitness and emotional wellbeing but they don’t have the motivation to consult with the relevant professionals about it. People also incur stress and trauma without the ability to recognize the symptoms and how it affects them or they may not know where to turn for help. These issues can weigh heavily on people, affecting their personal relationships, productivity and general quality of life.
“Managers should check in with their employees regularly to find out if they are struggling with anything, be it physically or emotionally. A culture of health requires passionate, engaged and positive leadership,” says Dr Edinburg.
He recommends establishing a wellness committee to help open the channels for employees to discuss their issues and concerns, get their hands on useful information, and access resources for improving their health and wellbeing.
“Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to point them in the right direction.”
D Edinburg offers these ideas for creating a healthy culture in the workplace:
* Promote preventive care by offering on-site flu vaccinations, for example.
* Recruit experts to speak to staff about aspects of nutrition, exercise, physical health and emotional wellbeing.
* Encourage employees to take their lunch breaks. Everyone needs time away from their desks to regroup.
* If there is a cafeteria or lunchroom, make sure healthy options are available.
* Keep hygiene top of mind by for instance providing anti-bacterial soap in staff toilets and posters encouraging hand-washing.
* Make fresh, cool drinking water accessible. This will help to encourage employees to drink more water and avoid the afternoon slump often brought on by dehydration.
* Encourage employees to get up from their desks to walk and stretch for a few minutes a day. Sitting too long has a detrimental impact on the muscular skeletal system.
* Recommend resources to help empower your employees make lasting changes to their lifestyles.
* Implement programmes or incentives to entice employees to get active. This can be as simple as arranging entries to walking, running or cycling events for groups of employees to participate in.
* Keep the thermostat temperatures on air conditioners within a 10-degree range of the temperature outside. Where possible allow windows to be opened to allow fresh air to circulate.