5 Ways to Promote Health in Your Workplace Today

The workforce has forever been split in two: those who work at home and those who work in an office. Until now. As a direct result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, homes have become offices, ushering in a unique set of challenges that companies should—and must—address.

Let’s start with the increased pressure to be available around the clock. If technology first blurred the lines separating work and personal life, this pandemic has only heightened that pressure. Commutes no longer exist to create a barrier between personal and professional. Water cooler chit chat is long gone, making working from home almost entirely work and no play. The very nature of the pandemic limits our means to connect, leaving employees to feel isolated and burnt out.

The increased long-term isolation and loneliness can, and will, affect employees overall health and thus, work performance. According to a recent study conducted by Ford, the impact of isolation and loneliness is comparable to that of obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The World Health Organization reports that depression affects 264 million people, making it a leading cause of disability. Further, our global economy loses $1 trillion annually due to depression and anxiety. 

So what do we do about it?

We’re living and working in a historical time. The current and residual effects of this global catastrophe will be studied for generations to come, which is more than just a noteworthy fact to spew in dinner conversation. It’s an unprecedented opportunity to forge a new way forward. Companies have a chance to support their employees through this time. They have an opportunity to care for the individuals and in turn, care for the company at large. 

Need a place to start? Here are five tactical tips on how to promote healthy living in your workplace today:

1. Snack game strong. Promote good nutrition in the office by providing healthy snacks like fruits and veggies. For remote work, you can host “lunch and learns” with nutritionists or other health specialists to educate employees on healthy habits!
2. Work hard, live well. Remind employees to take time off! Even during this pandemic, a day off to rest from work can be an important reset for the body and mind.
3. Move your body, change your mind. Encourage your team to get up and away from their desks throughout the day and to always eat meals away from their computers. This has several benefits: a break from a stationary posture in a chair gives the eyes a break from screen time; some light stretching moves also does the body good!
4. Press pause together. Carve out time and space for employees to seek mindfulness, reflection or meditation. It could be a standing calendar invite or notification that encourages a company-wide pause for 10 minutes. The benefits of this are far-reaching.
5. Support company-wide initiatives for health. Set up a 5k Walk/Run Challenge or Daily Step Goal tracking to get people moving and to break up the monotony of their day-to-day. Research has long proven that a healthy employee is a happy one.

The key is to start now and start small. We’re so passionate about cultivating healthy habits and laying the foundation for a successful life that we built an entire brand around it. At RISE Live Healthy + Happy we will spend a full 8 hours exploring what it truly means to be healthy... loving and caring for your body in order to feel great emotionally, physically and mentally. With a diverse group of renowned speakers, guided live workouts and an exclusive content library of downloadable resources, this immersive experience is a fantastic opportunity for your teams to jumpstart their health journey inside of quarantine and beyond.

We are offering company group rates on Premiere tickets for your team or company. Premiere tickets include:

• Livestream Access on Saturday, September 19th at 9am CDT
• Digital Resources (i.e. Free Workouts, Nutrition Worksheets, Kelly LeVeque’s Smoothie School, Mediation Guides)
• 24 Hour Early Access to the RISE Live Healthy + Happy Shop (US + Canada Only)
• Access to the conference and its content for 7 days (until 9/26 at 11:59pm CDT)
• Digital Workbook
• Our famous Dance Party Finale

If you’re interested in a healthier, happier team, fill out this form and someone from The Hollis Co will be in touch!