The modern workplace is changing. Instead of sitting in a typical, old-fashioned corporate environment, with desks and chairs and people writing on paper using pens, typical office workers use a computer and a keyboard. They may be in an office, or they may even be on their own, working in a virtual environment with their co-workers, thanks to the opportunities offered by the worldwide web.
At the same time, this change in working style does not alter the fact that companies have a responsibility to make sure that the wellness and wellbeing of their employees is protected while they are doing their work duties.
Not only is it a moral obligation for employers but it also makes good business sense. An employee who is ill costs the company money in sick pay, for one thing, but also any kind of sickness absence has an impact on the team as a whole. Think of the company as a well-oiled machine and the employees as the cogs – just the smallest cog missing can cause the whole thing to grind to a halt.
Some of the biggest companies have implemented wellness plans, and smaller companies can learn from what they have put in place. Google, for example, offers free healthy food to all of their employees on site at every one of their companies. They also place water at eye-level in their fridges in order to persuade employees to have a drink on a regular basis.
Hootsuite encourages employees to cycle to work through a biking scheme, while Salesforce puts on free yoga classes and offers employees $100 per month to stay healthy.
Lessons can be learned from these larger companies, and smaller organisations have taken this on with bike rental schemes, exercise programmes, health incentives and education programmes to make sure people are aware of healthy choices.
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