Healthy workplace makes for productive, energized staff
Staying healthy is only half the battle — staying healthy in the workplace is just as important.
October is Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month, so there’s never been a better time to get healthy at work.
According to the National Quality Institute (NQI), a non-profit organization that helps businesses promote healthy workplaces, health-care costs are increasing at twice the rate of inflation in Canada, and eight per cent of Canadian workers report taking some form of medication to treat a mental-health condition.
While treatment for existing health issues is important, the NQI suggests prevention is even more crucial to keeping employees happy and healthy in the workplace by lowering stress levels, providing encouragement and offering better dietary options at work.
Katie Rodgers is co-founder of Licious Living, a meal-delivery service that specializes in providing healthy food options to workplaces and homes looking to take the guesswork out of healthy meals. Rodgers says workplace health takes a combination of factors to get right, and food is just one part of the whole picture.
“It’s where your whole staff is energetic, feeling good, eating a healthy diet and finding time to exercise. It’s all about bringing balance,” Rodgers said.
Whether you're an employer or an employee, Rodgers suggests the first place to begin when creating a plan for staying healthy at work is to be realistic with what your goals and needs are.
“The best thing to do is make yourself a plan that is realistic for you. You can’t change everything all at once, and setting realistic goals is important for people who want change,” Rodgers said.
Eating leaner proteins like skinless white-meat chicken or lean carbs like fruits and veggies is a great start, but don’t forget foods chock full of healthy fats like salmon and almonds, too.
And when it comes to exercise, the best idea is to get the whole office in on the action with a fun workplace challenge or two, like tracking how often people take the stairs instead of the elevator, or starting a morning jogging club before work. The key is to put everything in writing and keep records to make the challenges stick.
“Put together a challenge and have a place employees can go to track it,” Rodgers said.
Besides a little friendly competition to motivate you, tracking exactly what you eat and in which quantities can help you start to see the bigger picture, something which Rodgers says most people don't have a handle on.
“A lot of people aren’t aware of what they’re eating, and tracking all the good and bad stuff can help you stay on track,” she said.
