26 May How to Encourage Fitness in the Workplace
Healthy employees are best. They’re less likely to take sick days and can help reduce your health care costs. They are often more productive, focused, creative and increase staff morale. Good health is in everyone’s best interest but it’s something not typically addressed much in the workplace. In addition, we now have more remote workers than ever. If you’ve ever worked from home, you know it’s easy to get stuck in a pajama-rut, which, while comfortable for a while, can really take a toll on the mental and physical health of your people. Here are four ways to promote healthy habits:
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Encourage people to start small. Suggest easily attainable first steps like replacing that lunchtime soda with water or create easy wins like built-in stretch breaks or five-minute challenges throughout the workday.
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Get everyone involved. Have every staff member write down one or more goals they want to achieve over the duration of the program and share it with at least one other person for accountability and encouragement. And if you want to really pull out the big guns, get your staff’s kids involved! Encourage parents to include their kids in the challenges or create a mini-program just for them. (Talk about some extra accountability: my toddler is a pro at holding me to my word!)
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Offer incentives…good ones. Gift cards are good, extra days off are better, “make-the-boss-dress-like-a-superhero-day” the BEST. Get creative and think about what really motivates your staff! Consider going BIG, like providing digital fitness trackers or paying for a fitness app for the whole team. Offer reimbursement for the cost of a live coaching app or more expensive fitness equipment for those who meet certain goals. Remember, healthier employees = healthier organization. This is something you will see returns on.
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Make it fun. Take your challenges a step further and create a fitness bingo card where employees can check off different challenges or activities over the course of the day (or week, or month). Create a “hype squad” and lighten your workload by asking a few of your more outgoing or bubbly employees to head up this fitness initiative for you and rally the troops!
You love your staff. Show them you care about their whole being and do it in a fun and encouraging way! You’ll be sure to see the return in one ways than one.
Original content by the HR Ministry Solutions. This information is provided with the understanding that Payroll Partners is not rendering legal, human resources, or other professional advice or service. Professional advice on specific issues should be sought from a lawyer, HR consultant or other professional.