5 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Office Environment
eXPD8 Analytics have now been in our new office for 4 months in the heart of Bristol and there have been many discussions about what maintains a healthy office environment. As we spend at least half of our waking hours at work, it’s very important to ensure that the surroundings you work in are conducive to your health and wellbeing. I’ve pulled together five top tops for making and maintaining a healthy workplace.
- Keep Moving
People who sit at desks should make sure that they stand or walk approximately every 30 minutes. This is not only good for you physically; it also increases productivity and concentration. Ideas for getting people to move more include – walking to a colleague’s desk to speak to them rather than using your internal messaging system, walking to work instead of taking the bus, using the stairs instead of the lift in an office and going for a walk during a lunch break.
- Surround yourself with natural light
Employees with windows in the workplace received 173% more white light exposure during work hours and slept an average of 46 minutes more per night than employees who did not have the natural light exposure in the workplace. There also was a trend for workers in offices with windows to have more physical activity than those without windows. Natural light improves productivity, health and overall wellbeing so make sure your colleagues have plenty of vitamin D.
- Invest in good seating
Sitting badly can have many long-term health impacts on your body. Investing in a good ergonomic chair will encourage good posture, thereby benefitting your comfort and health. You should have a chair that can not only reflects the curvature of your spine, but can also be adjusted in many ways, including, the back support, the arms and the height and angle of the seat.
- Make breakfast available
People often think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but working in an office environment means this can often be missed or replaced by a strong cup of coffee! There are many reasons why making breakfast available at work can be great for your colleague’s health as well as colleague engagement. With time to talk before starting working people have time to catch up and talk while they feed their brains.
- Clean, clean, clean
Everyone knows the saying “Clean space, clear mind”. This is also true in the workplace as well as at home. Not only will having a clean and uncluttered workspace keep your mind clear and increase productivity, keeping the office as clean as possible will also help reduce allergies and the passing on of germs. Providing hand sanitisers in communal areas, or areas where germs may gather, such as kitchens, will be beneficial.
These are just some of the top tips for maintaining a healthy office environment. Once you’ve implemented some of these changes, it’s easy to keep them in play and enjoy not only a nice workplace, but a healthy, happy workplace too. We value our people and making the workplace a healthy working environment is the first steps to increasing productivity. Get in touch to find out more.
Emma Leeke, Senior Data Analysis