5 Tips for Feeling #wellatwork

Not only is it an important thing to do to motivate staff but also it’s good business sense to help employees feel their best. With mental health in the media on a regular basis we all have a responsibility to play our part in creating a healthy work environment.

So we have compiled 5 tips for feeling #wellatwork that we have garnered over the years working within the HR industry:

• Set boundaries

Set boundaries

Adam Grant, organizational psychologist at Wharton Business School and Author of Give & Take and podcast WorkLife, says that there are two kinds of people at work – Integrators and Segmenters.  Integrators happily blend their work and home life and appreciate their company’s help with childcare and flexibility.  Whereas Segmenters like to keep work and home life very separate and will treat the two very differently, for example they will turn off phones in the evenings and get changed as soon as they get home.

It’s important to understand which side your employees are on so that you can help them set boundaries and avoid work-related illnesses.

• Eat for wellness not for the sake of it

Nutrition has a big part to play in how we feel and how we perform at work.  Nutritionists agree that snacking on sugary foods such as snack bars, chocolates and sweets will play havoc with our energy levels.  The sugar rush is followed by the crash and then the familiar feeling of brain fog can set in.  Prevent this by cutting back on sugar, or cut it out completely if you’re feeling brave.  Snacking on foods like rice cakes or apples will give the crunch you crave without the sugar load.  This means productivity will increase naturally.

Provide fruit and nuts and other low or no sugar snacks for employees to keep them going throughout the day.

• Watch your caffeine intake

Substitute a coffee for a decaf or a sugar free soft drink

We all know that the first coffee or tea of the day can help to kick start us, but our caffeine addiction could be depleting our energy.  In the UK in 2018 Brits were drinking 95 million cups of coffee per day and 165 million cups of tea! Try to replace a few of these with water or a sugar free soft drink to keep hydrated.

Help your employees do this by stocking the fridge with coffee and tea alternatives and encouraging regular water breaks.

• Take time for reflection throughout the day

Taking a few minutes to quietly sit and reflect on the day so far can be really helpful in clarifying the mind.  Often work worries or knotty problems can become overwhelming, but just sitting for a while, considering the day as if you’re watching over yourself will give you some needed perspective.

This can be encouraged by line managers during formal breaks or simply by asking employees to take a break if they are desk bound.

• Get some fresh air

Encourage employees to get some fresh air during the day

In an ideal world we’d all be able to go for a picturesque walk in our lunch break, hear the birds singing and generally thrive in the outdoor environment.  Back in the real world however, it can be hard to do during the working day.   Vitamin D, known as the Sunshine Vitamin, is fundamental to our mental and physical health and a deficiency can make us feel tired, depressed and have flu-like symptoms.

Try to get out of the office for a while each day, even just to walk round the block and stretch your legs.  The daylight and the exercise will help refresh your mind and body.