As we slowly begin to emerge from a long, cold winter, as a small business owner you may have felt the strain of sickness hitting your bottom line. With flu, colds, stomach bugs and more in circulation, it’s likely that your workforce may have had a fair amount of time off – and as a start-up, this tends to impact productivity and profit disproportionately hard. It’s not just the cost of having people off – it’s the goodwill it may erode with important clients when projects are delivered late or orders are slow to dispatch. You may have felt pretty powerless to stop it – everyone gets sick, right? However, by choosing to make a commitment towards having healthier employees, you can reduce the number of sick days, create a more positive community and boost productivity.
Support Employee Fitness
There is an undeniable link between obesity and a range of complex health conditions and diseases, as well as mental health, so enabling your employees to be more active could be a very smart move. Regular fitness helps to control weight, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers as well as strengthening bones and muscles so workplace injury is also less likely to occur. If you have space on the premises for an onsite fitness centre which can be used free of charge, that’s amazing, or see if a local gym chain might be prepared to offer discounted corporate membership. Encourage employees to cycle in to work by simply adding a bicycle stand or a shower room. You could also start an office team within a local league – take a poll to find the most popular option first – as not only is this kind of activity good for health, it can also encourage teamwork and bonding.
Give Healthier Eating Options
Just as important for improved overall health is how we choose to fuel our bodies. But you don’t have to have canteen facilities to offer healthier options. A trip to the wholesalers to stock up on fresh fruits, nuts and cereal bars means that you can offer a healthy breakfast on site at a low cost. You could also consider starting a weekly lunch club, where team members take it in turn to bring something in prepared at home. You could also offer an Eco-friendly fresh produce delivery service into the office, so employees don’t have to worry about finding something healthy to cook for dinner. Find some of the best healthy eating recipes and share them in your bulletins or on a noticeboard in the breakout area.
Boost Immune Systems
It’s a fact that most offices are a hotbed of germs over the winter months. Arrange for a contract deep clean – including sanitising desktops, keyboards and telephones – at least every few months, and provide large antibacterial hand gels and disinfectant wipes for employees to use. Encourage employees to go for flu vaccinations and perhaps even see if a local nurse could be arranged to come to the office. Investing in a few air purifiers can also make a huge difference, as well as ensuring you have plants around the office, which not only clean the air but soothe the mind as well.
