Putting Staff Wellness On The Agenda
The 2016 Rio Olympics was only a few months ago, but for many people, the motivation to get more active is still burning bright.
Even the most dedicated of couch potatoes would have struggled to not feel inspired by the achievements of athletes from across the globe. As an employer, how far do you go to encourage your staff to adopt a healthier and more active lifestyle?
Promoting health and fitness at work isn’t just a nice idea, or a fluffy initiative with no measurable business impact. Fitter staff are likely to be happier and more confident, have more positive attitudes towards work, and suffer less from stress and related illnesses. They’re also less likely to have to take time off. In short, promoting activity and healthier living can help you to achieve your business goals.
We’ve all heard about the big corporates offering attractive benefit packages, such as private healthcare and on-site gyms. This approach is great for large organisations but smaller businesses have smaller budgets and often need to be a bit more creative. The good news is that there’s plenty that you can do, even if you need to keep an eye on costs.
One option is to get a team together, and work towards completing a challenge. It could be something big and ambitious, like a marathon or the Three Peaks Challenge, or it could be something on a smaller scale, such as a local Parkrun, or even a daily lunchtime walk. Remember that your staff will have differing abilities, so consider how you can get everyone involved without creating any pressure to perform.
An element of competition is often motivating, so it’s worthwhile considering how you could create a healthy challenge for your staff to take part in. It could involve hitting a certain number of steps each day, or taking part in some form of daily exercise that’s accessible to everyone. It’ll be a great talking point in the office, and it’s often a great way to strengthen working relationships.
With the Olympics not too far behind us there has never been a better time to make sure that health and fitness are firmly on your business agenda.
Would you like to have a chat with a HR professional about how you can design your very own health and fitness initiative for your staff? We’d love to help. Give us a call on 01604 763494 or contact us via the contact form here to see what’s possible for your business.
