Many of us spend the great majority of our average week in the office or work space, so it’s vital that the space we’re in helps contribute to our wellbeing, rather than sapping energy and building bad, sedentary habits. To help address this, wellbeing entrepreneur Liz Earle MBE, shares her top five tips for HR professionals on how to ensure wellbeing in the workplace.
Create a culture of care: Aim to instil a culture of care at work – if you care for your team they are more likely to care for each other and for the organisation too. Creating a sense of camaraderie through group activities, whether birthday cakes, walks in the park or summer outings not only creates a positive team spirit, but also increases personal happiness, reduces office politics and makes for a more productive, engaged and committed group.
Encourage mobility: We’re all busy replying to endless emails and calls, but we shouldn’t spend the whole day glued to screens, be it desktop or smartphone. Encourage staff to take time to rest their eyes and whenever possible take a brisk walk around the office to talk to colleagues rather than relying on internal phone calls and emails.
Provide brain-boosting snacks: If possible stock the office with healthier and mind-boosting snacks so that staff don’t find themselves drifting towards the vending machine come the mid-afternoon slump. Nuts are a favourite wellbeing snack – delicious and full of essential goodness, they are also one of the best sources of vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that offers us a wealth of revitalising health and beauty benefits.
Fresh air, plants and daylight: Natural daylight and fresh air increase our sense of wellbeing, happiness and ability to focus so encourage employees to get outside in their lunchbreak – or even set up a lunchtime running club. At the very least bring nature into the office by introducing plants – research has shown having plants in our working spaces can be hugely beneficial and increase our productivity and happiness.
Review workspaces. It’s important to consider the physical environment of your staff – are their workspaces conducive with wellbeing? It’s worth thinking about bringing in an ergonomics expert to assess each member of my team’s posture, and help ensure their chairs, arm rests, foot rests and computer monitors are at the correct height and settings to prevent repetitive strain. Small strains each day too easily builds up to create lifelong pain, tension and injury if not corrected.
Commenting on her advice, Liz Earle said: “We’re working harder and longer than ever, so sustainability and wellbeing at work are essential to avoid burn-out. HR professionals play an important role in ensuring wellbeing in the workplace and by making some easy changes in the office, as outlined in my top five tips, HR can make real difference to workplace wellbeing”.
