8 Ways You Can Improve Health In The Office For Your Employees

Today, we will be sharing our top ways to improve health in the office – and some actionable ideas that you can start to implement immediately.

When you’re running an office, the most valuable asset is the people working in it. Your employees are the main factor affecting your business and its subsequent earnings.

One of the biggest things that will affect how efficient your office is? The health of your employees. An unhealthy office is unproductive. Employees aren’t working to their full capacity and there will be absences, costing you both time and money.

Fortunately, there are ways to avoid an unhealthy office – and we’re going to share 8 of those ways with you.

 1. Add a plant to the office

Plants are a quick and easy way to improve health in the office! Boasting multiple health benefits, plants are a triple threat: they make employees happier, healthier and more productive.

• Neuropsychological symptoms were reduced by 23% when plants were present. Fatigue reduced the most – by 30%.
• Mucous membrane symptoms were reduced by 24% overall when plants were present. Cough decreased by 37% and dry throat by 25%.
• Dry or flushed skin was reduced by 23% with plants in the workspace. – Source

We’ve already written an entire post describing the benefits of adding plants to your office, so feel free to read that for further information.

2. Make some improvements to the air quality.

One of the benefits of having plants in the workplace is the fact that plants help to improve air quality. That said, there’s much more to improving and maintaining air quality.

Unfortunately, it’s not only common but easy for offices to become victims of low-quality air. Ventilation may not be the best and the air can easily become stagnant . . . which makes it even easier for pollution to build.

Pollutants are everywhere – fumes released from cars; smoke from cigarettes your employees’ smoking breaks in the parking lot; energy used for heating and lighting. Pollutants are pretty inescapable, but it’s certainly possible to minimise their damage and ensure they aren’t sitting around, building up in the air.

Improving air quality within the workplace is a great way to improve health in the office. Fortunately, there is an easy way that you can improve your air quality!

Use an air purifier.

An air purifier is the easiest solution to problems with air quality. It’s also an incredibly cost-efficient option compared to having to install a new ventilation system for your office! Air purifiers do exactly what it says on the tin – they purify air and filter out pollutants.

Our partner company Rebel offer fantastic air purifiers that we highly recommend.

Air Purifier with Permanent Filter – £95.99

3. Utilise sit-stand desks for employees

Sit-stand desks are a relatively new introduction to the world of workplaces, but they’re massively popular – and for good reason. We all know how important exercise is for our us, but studies have shown that sitting down for long periods of time actively harms our health.

Sitting at a desk in the office is unavoidable, but using a sit-stand desk allows your employees the option to switch between sitting and standing during their workday. This not only improves their health long-term but also improves their mood and energy levels, in term making them even more productive!

If such a simple change can so massively improve health in the office, why not invest in a few sit-stand desks? Here at Quills, we provide a variety of sit-stand desks, so feel free to send over an enquiry for your office.

4. Encourage healthy eating in the office

A healthy diet is the best weapon against illness, so encouraging employees to make healthier choices with their eating habits can significantly help to improve the overall health of your office.

There are many simple ways that you can do this, such as switching unhealthy snacks for fruit, providing fruit bowls, removing sugary drinks from the vending machines and more!

5. Make sure you have a water machine available for employees to use

Making drinking water readily available for your employees has a wide range of benefits. Hydrated workers will be healthier, able to perform their duties more effectively and for longer periods of time; the difficulty lies in convincing your employees to remain hydrated.

Tap water, while readily available, often does not taste as appealing – and having a vending machine full of sugary drinks can tempt your employees to go for unhealthier options. Providing free, easily accessible water for your office workers is a great way to encourage them to stay hydrated.

Having a water dispenser for your employees is an easy way to improve health in the office.

If you are interested in water dispensers and other water solutions for your office, Quills provide a vast range of options. Feel free to take a look in our digital catalogue (pages 692-693), or send us an enquiry.

6. Provide disinfectant for the office

Offices are a breeding pit for germs. The average office desk has 400 times more germs than a toilet seat! People are constantly touching their keyboards, mice, desks and stationery . . . but all this touching transfers germs. Not to mention, when employees move around the office, they share their germs – and the longer these bacteria are left, the more they multiply.

Providing disinfectant in the workplace can help improve health in the office by making sure that any germs they pick up from around the office are destroyed before your employees are harmed by them.

7. Enforce a smoke-free workplace

Smoking is an incredibly unhealthy habit – but did you know that second-hand smoke is just as bad for you? If your employees smoke, the smoke can actually affect the air in the office too.

Enforcing a smoke-free workplace is a great benefit for both employees who smoke and those that don’t; it helps to ensure neither are breathing in the harmful toxins in cigarette smoke. If your employees do smoke, a policy specifying no smoking near the office building is a good idea.

8. Install ergonomic chairs

Finally, our last suggestion is the use of ergonomic chairs.

Ergonomic chairs are special pieces of furniture designed to ensure that employees remain comfortable throughout the day. This is achieved by ensuring the user’s body is in the best possible position.

Office workers usually spend a majority of their days hunched over a computer screen, not at all focused on their posture. Sedentary activity can develop into a number of problems – carpal tunnel syndrome and back or neck pain to name a few – that are both short and long term damaging to your employees’ health and productivity.

Ergonomic chairs are an easy way to prevent this and improve health in the office. Plus, ensuring that your employees are feeling more comfortable means that they’ll be able to work for longer periods of time.

If Ergonomic chairs are an office solution you are interested in, Quills provide an extensive range. Send us an enquiry for more details!

Those are our 8 top tips for improving health within the office; hopefully, you’ll be able to use some of these to ensure your office is running as efficiently as possible.