Wellness Tips for Office Workers

A key part of wellness in the office is ensuring that the environment itself is conducive to a healthy lifestyle. No matter what space you have, there are accommodations that you can make, and when better to make a start than National Stress Awareness Day 2021?

Natural light

Unfortunately, this one can be a little restricted depending on your building, but wherever possible, it’s key to let in as much natural light as possible. Not only can this improve eye fatigue, but lack of access to natural light can interrupt your circadian rhythm and impact your sleep.

Bring in your pets

Allowing team members to bring in their pets can be positive for everyone involved, and having an office pet can boost mood, productivity and efficiency. This is one of our favourite corporate wellness ideas – we’ll be giving our office dog, Pongo, extra love on National Stress Awareness Day 2021. He’s an endless source of antics, petting and napping in the sun (but be prepared to guard your lunch!).

However, make sure you’re respectful of your other team members. Before bringing in any pets, please do your research and talk about it with your team to ensure that the solution will work for everyone. Of course, it won’t work for every office, but it can benefit those who try it!

Flexibility

Over the course of the pandemic, office workers worldwide learned whether they work best at home, in the office or combining the two. A key corporate wellness idea is offering your employees flexibility; it can make a huge difference to their lives and mental health as it can minimise worries about finding childcare when your children stay home sick from school or the rising costs of fuel for those who drive.

Create a welcoming space

An important part of creating an effective office space is making it welcoming and inviting. Some indoor plants, artwork and pops of colour around the office can really make a difference to the space!

Invest in your team

There are hundreds of ways to promote wellness in the office, and it will always depend on the team. For example, maybe your team would welcome investment in standing desks and ergonomic chairs to promote good posture and movement, or maybe creating a relaxing break room is the top priority. This leads us on very nicely to our next point…

Ask your team!

It’s really as easy as that. Whether you set up a meeting, make an anonymous suggestion box or create a poll, let your team tell you what they would find helpful for promoting wellness in the office.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the average pre-pandemic work time for full-time workers was around 37 hours. That’s a lot of time to be spending at the office, and when you factor in commutes and breaks as well, it’s no wonder we all feel like we spend our lives at work.

That said, there are ways to make it a little easier on yourself. Here are our top wellness tips for office workers!

Lunch break

Your lunch break is sacred. Step away from your desk and eat somewhere else to get your mind off of your work whenever possible. You could go for a walk or spend some time outside (if it’s not pouring down!), or even spend a few minutes meditating. This doesn’t have to look entirely traditional – just find somewhere comfortable and quiet to sit, close your eyes and just breathe for five or ten minutes.

Your desk

If you have your own desk or an assigned space, an easy way to boost your wellness in the office is to make it your own. Bring in things that will make the day a little easier, like hot water bottles, fidget toys or blue-light glasses to reduce eye strain. You could even frame some photos or inspirational pictures that you can look at throughout the day to really get you fired up!

Routine

Who hasn’t found themselves stuck in a rut at work? You do the same thing, day after day, and everything starts to feel a bit stale. Give yourself permission to change up your routine – take ten minutes to go for a walk in the morning, take a different route on your commute, meet a friend for lunch. This gives your brain more stimulation and can help make you happier and more productive.

Stretching

Stretching regularly can reduce the risk of pain associated with sedentary work, like back and neck pain or carpal tunnel. Healthline has a great selection of ‘deskercise’ stretches that can be done while sitting down to give you some relief from stiffness and promote wellness in the office.

Drinking water

At Zelst, we’re no strangers to the lure of teas and coffees throughout the day, but it’s important that you don’t neglect your hydration. If you often forget to drink enough water, try using a time-labelled water bottle or an app to track your intake. If you just don’t enjoy drinking water, try chopping up some citrus fruits, mint or cucumber to give your water a better taste.

At Zelst, practising these wellness tips for office workers allows us to stay productive in helping our clients to be seen and get found online! If you’d like to talk to us about your business’s digital marketing strategy, please get in touch with our specialist team today.