Many workers know that they’re not doing their long-term health any favors by being sedentary, but they may not have the power to make sweeping changes to office workstations. The following tips from Smart Company enable managers and business owners to proactively create healthier work areas.
- Encourage employees to stand. This can be as simple as holding standing staff meetings. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, consider a mix of sitting and standing workstations to lure workers away from their seats.
- Build a lunch room. Communal spaces like lunch rooms enhance your company’s community feel and can even promote productivity through exercise.
- Hold regular stretch breaks. Non-smokers sometimes complain that smokers get a regular five- or 10-minute break for a cigarette while they must sit at their desks. Regular stretch breaks let every employee move around, which cuts their chances of suffering from musculoskeletal problems.
- Buy exercise balls. Encourage employees to swap their traditional desk chairs out for exercise balls to improve their posture and promote fitness.
- Use headsets. Those whose jobs keep them on the phone for much of the day should wear headsets to avoid the inevitable neck and back issues that result from sandwiching a phone between shoulder and ear.
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