How Your Business Benefits from Healthy Employees

Healthy employees = less overhead costs. Less healthy employees = more sick days = less productivity.

A study by Brigham Young University demonstrated that absenteeism was reduced by 27% when employees had a healthy lifestyle, exercised regularly and ate healthier food options.

The University of California Riverside found that companies offering employee wellness programs saw a significant gain in productivity among workers. It found that employee productivity improved an average of one full workday per month when they participated in a wellness program.

So how do you make employees healthier? 

Allow discounted access to a local gym

Workers able to go to the gym during work hours were more productive, managed their time better and felt more satisfied at their job, per a Leeds Metropolitan University study.

Connect with a local gym to see if you can get a discount deal for your employees and make it easy and affordable for your employees to get access to regular exercise.

Give them plenty of access to healthy foods

If you provide food at your workplace; vending machines, snacks, rather than loading it with fatty, sugary and salty snacks, go for a healthier option. More whole foods, less processed foods, more plants and a better ratio of nutrients to calories is a good start.

Make sure they get away from their desks

When people spend all day seated, they put stress on internal organs, they reduce digestive efficiency and increase the risk of a wide range of health issues including heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.

Give your employees an opportunity to get away from their desks for a few minutes every hour. Whether its a morning and afternoon walking group, a stand-up desk or an afternoon activity, give employees a chance to get up and get moving.

Allow them to work flexibly and give them time off when they need it

One of the major ways in which employees can reduce their stress levels is by giving them flexibility in their working hours. Working days are easier and more relaxed when employees know they’ll finish work in time to pick the kids up from school or be able to hit the gym before their working day starts.

Sick days are like a safety net. It’s good to know they’re there even if you hope that you’ll never have to use them. Many businesses believe that they can lower operational costs by limiting or refusing sick days to employees, but there’s no evidence to suggest that when they are unlimited they’re used disproportionately.

Provide incentive trips

These trips can help encourage team building and make a significant contribution to employees’ mental health and happiness. They also show employees that you care about and value them as human beings, outside of the specific functions they fulfill for your business.

If you can help your employees live a healthier lifestyle, your business will reap the benefits!