It’s that time of year when everyone is starting to think about their New Year’s resolutions, most of the time these resolutions tend to about their health and wellness.
Promoting good health and wellness should also be an employer’s goal for 2018 so with this in mind, here is a summary of the six best workplace wellbeing initiatives and trends that businesses should look out for in 2018.
Sit-stand desks
There is no escaping the fact that the majority of employees time in the office is spent sitting at their desks. This lengthy level of sedentary behaviour can have serious downsides to a person’s health and has been associated with various physical and mental conditions including obesity and depression. To counteract this sit-stand desks can be effective in reducing the amount of time staff sit down and are no longer the obscure recommendation they used to be (however they can be costly). Even if a workplace can offer a regular sit-down desk only, chances are they may have electronic devices such as a laptop or a tablet that can be used to migrate to a different working area. Finding a table top that’s the right height can be tricky, but if they have one in their workplace it can break up the day and a mixture of sitting and standing can easily become a reality.
Workplace naps
Sleeping on the job is very much a workplace taboo, however, a 20-minute power nap has been proven to reduce stress and increase productivity. As a result of this in-company sleep pods, resting rooms and snooze friendly policies are becoming increasingly popular, with tech giants like Google and Uber leading the way. Understandably not everyone has the luxury of being able to step away from their desk for an hours sleep but lunch hours and tea breaks can be a great time for employees to have a quick nap in a quiet dark room.