By James Tjan
Employers should share responsibility for employee health choices
It’s 2 p.m. and that mid-day craving spikes. Do you reach for the chips from the vending machine or a donut from the coffee shop? Anything will do to sustain energy for the rest of the day.
As the theory goes, a well-fueled worker provides the best functionality and the best productivity. Top results are shown when energy levels are kept up throughout the day. However, with increasingly busy work schedules, employees tend to neglect their own health. With so many fast food options – vending machines, convenience stores, baked goods – it’s easy to fall victim to unhealthy choices.
Though healthy food options are more readily available and be- coming the more popular choice, getting them into the hands of employees is the hard part; employees may not be making conscious healthy choices at work when that mid-day snack craving creeps up.
If a healthy option was readily provided to employees by their employers, not only would employees be at peak performance all day, they would also be improving their overall health.
Work environments should be structured with wellness in mind in order to get the best out of employees. A large part of this comes down to making healthy choices throughout the day, and if a quick, easy and healthy snack is readily available, the choice becomes simpler. Employers can take responsibility for this small but crucial aspect of employee wellness.
There are a number of simple changes employers can make that will provide optimum opportunity and encouragement for their employees to sustain a healthy lifestyle in the workplace. Try making small but important changes, like these:
- Consider removing vending. Instead, think about offering healthy snacks to your employees for free. They’ll appreciate the gesture, and you’ll reap the benefits of a healthier workforce.
Order fruit or veggie platters for meetings instead of baked goods. Fruits and vegetables bring energy levels up, and keep them up through the day without the sugar crash.
Provide healthy eating tips/nutrient facts. Post useful and informative information in communal spaces to educate employees.
Remove things that promote poor eating habits. Limit the types and amount of food available, and control when and where it is offered.
The key to a healthy workplace environment is making the choice an easy one, with little to no thought about it. Usually, if it’s there, people will take it. Employees and employers will both reap the benefit. Starting small is a great way to get going – a “healthy snack day,” for example, can focus just one day of the week to encourage staff to bring healthier lunches and snacks or for the employer to offer various healthy snacks in the afternoon for free.
The need for a healthy workplace is more important than ever and employers can play an important role in providing better options for employees. Not only does a healthy lifestyle improve the overall quality of life, but it also improves the quality of work being done and the productivity of employees. In the long run, providing the benefit of a healthy workplace leads to greater results.
James Tjan is president and CEO of Mindful Snacks.