10 simple energy boosting ideas for your employees

We’ve all experienced those moments during the day when our energy levels are drained and we struggle to stay focused on our work. Even at Zest, our employees are susceptible to that energy lull, but we never let it defeat us.

Tackling these challenges in fresh, innovative ways makes us who we are, and fuels us into making the best solution for our customer possible. Here’s 10 simple energy boosting ideas straight from us here at Zest, to help you join our fresh approach to the workday:

Clean work space

Studies have shown that messy desks can have a detrimental impact on energy and productivity levels. Clearing your desk can help prevent confusion and allow you to organise or reorganise you thoughts. “Taking a few minutes throughout the day to clear and organise my desk helps to focus my energy – and prevent total confusion.” – Garry Nelson, Commercial Director.

Take Regular Breaks

“Regular intervals away from my screen and talking to colleagues makes me feel great!” – Luciano Pinter, Technical Team Leader. For health reasons it’s recommended that we take small regular breaks away from our screens. This could be as simple and diverting our eyes away from the screen for 20 seconds every 20 minutes, or moving away from your desk to ‘have a chat at the water cooler’.

Or, Take a giggle break

Laughing releases those feel good chemicals: endorphins, helping to boost your mood and raise energy levels. But that’s not all, humour between your colleagues is a powerful tool for building more cohesive teams [P. McGhee, Health, Healing and the Amuse System: Humor as Survival Training]. “Having a laugh with my team helps to alleviate stress, and sharing the odd dad joke really brings my team together – no matter how corny they are.” – Tom Lamb, Application Support Consultant.

Just Breathe

Stopping and taking stock of your breathing helps to eradicate stress and manage your thoughts. Utilising certain techniques such as equal breathing, 4-7-8 and Ujayii (victorious breath) can really help you to release stress and re-energise. These techniques can also be key skills in a wellbeing officer’s arsenal, allowing them to guide employees who have come for help. “Utilising energising breathing techniques helps me to prepare and energise for the day ahead of me.” – Sam Bromley, Systems Administrator.

Check yourself

Lists can be your best friend, providing structure and enabling you to strategically manage your workload; effectively reducing stress levels. “My day to day can vary quite dramatically and I’ve always got a handful of varied tasks on the go. Writing a daily to-do list means I can apply a more methodical way of approaching my activities and large projects, it’s much less daunting and I enjoy ticking off actions one by one.” – Lauren Price, Junior Marketing Manager.

Stay Hydrated

“I keep a large bottle of water on my desk, having it in front of me guarantees that I’ll drink enough water throughout the day.” – Riccki Samra, Delivery Team Manager. We all need to drink more water, and taking a considered approach to your liquid intake can really help to boost energy. We all tend to drink too much tea and coffee at work or grab a can of soda with lunch which often dehydrates us more. Whilst the caffeine in these drinks give us a great initial boost, we’ll often experience a slump once they’ve worn off.

Get your heart rate up

“Going for a walk at lunchtime gets the blood pumping and helps to avoid the afternoon lethargy.” – Emma Norman, Product Manager. Sometimes putting one foot in front of the other and getting away from the office can help rejuvenate and relax. Something as simple as walking into, or around town offers exercise and some head space to reset from a busy morning. Research shows that workers who take some form of exercise during their lunchbreak benefit from a 41% increase in their motivation (Bristol University, 2018).

Dump the static position

“When solving a problem, I find more energy and creativity by standing up and using visual tools such as a whiteboard and markers.” – Graham Meinke, Head of Product. We’re not robots, sitting in the same position all day can hinder our energy levels and even our productivity. Standing up, solving problems as a group or even moving to a different part of the office, can all help to shrug that lull you get when you’re stuck with a tricky problem.

Healthy Snacks

What we put in our bodies is a vital part of maintaining healthy energy levels. However, when it comes to the snacks that we choose, we can often fall prey to the easier, tastier options high in fat and sugar. Healthier snacks like fruit and nuts provide a prolonged release of energy that won’t leave us crashing and craving more shortly after. “I keep healthy snacks such as fruit and nuts in my desk for whenever hunger strikes or I need a little pick me up.” – Adam Plowman, Transition and Acceptance Manager.

No Treble

“A little bass in the workplace goes a long way, the right playlist can help motivate me through the workday.” – Josh Bennett, Sales Executive. Music is a great motivator and there’s a reason we use it to power through housework, a run or cooking dinner. Finding the right soundtrack to your workday can help energise and alleviate stress, with your manager’s permission of course!

Have any other recommendations? Share them in the comments below! We’d love to see what you’re up to.