GeneralTips and Tricks for a Healthy Workforce

A healthy workforce is a happy one. This is why thousands of company owners and managers worldwide are placing a lot of focus on improving the working environment for their employees.

Therefore, if you own a business, you should also produce a healthy working environment. Upon successfully doing this, the benefits will be endless.

However, if you don’t know where to start, here are some useful little tips and tricks that will ensure your employees are healthy and can perform to the best of their abilities.

Request Functional Capacity Evaluations

When one of your employees has been absent from work due to injury or sickness, it’s important that they only return to work when they’re fit and healthy to do so.

To prevent any situation from worsening, you should request a functional capacity evaluation for the employee in question. This will help to conclude whether he or she is ready to come back.

In the long-term, here are some benefits of functional capacity evaluations:

• Speed up the process of getting an employee back to work
• Identify potential employment barriers when you’re looking to hire new employees (for example, you can request an evaluation and potentially uncover that an employee is nowhere close to being fit enough for work)
• Save sick pay costs

So, let’s say that one of your employees has been off work for 6 months and is adamant that they can’t return. In that case, you’ll need the help of a functional capacity evaluator who’ll be in charge to assess potential and current scenarios. You might discover that your employee is correct and that they can’t return. Or, alternatively, you might discover that they are perfectly fit and healthy!

Allow Employees to Work Remotely

Sometimes, employees can become stressed when they have to drive to work and then drive home every day (especially if their home and workplace are miles apart). Therefore, it’s good to implement a remote working model that enables employees to work from home. This will help boost employee morale and happiness and save your business lots of money.

Remember, your remote model doesn’t have to be a permanent one. For example, you could design it so that employees work from home on Mondays and Fridays but come into the office from Tuesdays to Thursdays.

Reduce Unhealthy Foods and Drinks in the Workplace

You might have a canteen or machines that provide employees with unhealthy food and drink options on your premises. If this is the case, you should consider removing them and replacing them with healthier alternatives instead.

If employees are working for long hours, it’s always a bad idea for them to recharge with sugar and caffeine, as it will cause burnout in the long term.

Provide Plenty of Breaks

During the average working day, employees should be given plenty of breaks so that they can stand up and move around. This will ensure that their bodies and minds remain active. Plus, nobody’s posture will suffer, either.

Also, it’s a good idea to install standing desks in the workplace so that no stress is placed on the necks and backs of your employees.