How To Create A Health-Conscious Atmosphere In Your Business

Doing anything you can to improve or maintain employee and customer health is just smart for business. Healthcare costs are spiraling out of control, and Forbes says that sick employees cost $576 billion per year. Here are tips on how to increase the health-conscious atmosphere at your business.

Get Rid of Vending Machines

Sure, it is easy to have another company come in and fill up vending machines with sweet, salty and fat-laden snacks. There is no easy way to count what carb crashing does to productivity or how many health-robbing pounds vending snacks are adding to your employees. Offering free fruit and low-calorie healthy snacks along with bottled water can make a difference in the long run of employee health and not cost a fortune to implement or maintain. There are vending companies that will provide fresh fruit, healthy snacks and better beverage choices instead of the standard chips and soda.

Ban Tobacco Use on Business Property

Your business is private property, and banning the use of tobacco products sets a standard. Smoking is highly addictive and proven to be a health hazard to smokers as well as bystanders exposed to second-hand smoke. Due to the nature of nicotine addiction, it is wise to give your employees a heads up on the upcoming ban and offer help and incentives in beating the addiction before the ban begins.

Clean Your Offices the Right

The cleanliness of your workplace should not be an afterthought. Do not adopt the “it’s clean enough” mentality. Every new day at work should present your employees with the cleanest work environment possible for your industry. Even modern garages that fix automobiles are no longer the grease pits that may inhabit the imagination. Instead, they have clean epoxy-coated floors and bright lighting, they are well ventilated, and the tools the mechanics use are a source of pride. If a garage can shine like that, then your office building, cubicles and other contemporary work environment can as well. Part of the solution is beginning to use proven commercial cleaning products and supplies, such as the ones offered by Mailender.

Incentivize Employee Health

Here is where your creativity can shine. Think of both small and big ways to get people moving, making better food choices, and taking steps to deal with the habits that are hindering them. Providing wearable fitness trackers of the same brand where all employees that have them can compete for prizes can get people walking, running and bicycling. Incentivize with small and big goals and rewards of all sizes. Everyone that participates is a winner from the start.

Break away from the routines of the status quo. Take a look around at each facet of your business from the building to the people that make it work. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to help create a healthier workplace and a healthier workforce.