You know that your employees’ health impacts their ability to work. When they get sick, they can’t come in — or they come in and productivity suffers. In office environments, a lot of people are sedentary and don’t always eat as healthy as they should. Accidents happen and people get sick.
March is National Nutrition Month, and this is a great time to encourage healthier habits in the workplace. Your employees will be healthier and happier as a result. Here are a few ways to promote healthy habits on and off the job.
PLAN A HEALTHY EMPLOYEE POTLUCK
Instead of the potluck of creamy or fried foods, plan a healthy food event instead. Encourage everyone to bring their favorite healthy dish. People can try new foods and swap recipes to try at home.
START A HEALTHY CHALLENGE AT WORK
Create a workplace challenge to see who can eat more fruits and vegetables or see who can try the most different types in a given timeframe – at work or at home. To make this easy for them, replace snacks in the breakroom with healthier options.
OFFER HEALTHIER OPTIONS
Whether you try the challenge and enjoy it or you just want to give your employees better options, you can start with the breakroom. Replace the junk in the vending machine with fruit bars. Put fruit bowls on the tables filled with apples and bananas or stash grapes and other fruit in the refrigerator.
START AN AFTER WORK RUN/WALK CLUB
Afterwork drinks can be fun but it’s not always the healthiest option. To help employees create healthier habits, start or encourage your employees to start a fitness group that meets after work. They’ll get some exercise in and, with fruit in the breakroom, may eat healthier.
GIVE OUT COUPONS OR GIFT CARDS
Hand out coupons or small gift cards to healthy restaurants and grocery stores. You can do this as a reward system for participating in events or just because. Making it free or inexpensive to eat healthier may be all the encouragement some people need.
OFFER NUTRITION EDUCATION
Invite in a dietician or nutritionist to educate your employees about eating healthy. This could be a table set up to offer advice or answer questions. You can plan a healthy lunch with a seminar on healthy nutrition — like buying fruits and vegetables on a budget. Or plan a demo and teach your employees how to cook healthier recipes.
Happy, healthy employees are more productive, are absent less, and are often less likely to make mistakes – which can lead to reduced insurance premiums.