Re-Imagining Your Workspace for Better Wellness
Wellness at work is about more than just lunch and learns on healthy eating. It turns out the work environment plays an important role in shaping the health and wellness of employees within the workplace walls.
Given that employees spend at least ⅓ of their weekdays at work, there’s only so much you can do for your health and well-being to make-up for a work-day that’s overly stressed, sedentary, or downright toxic. An hour of exercise doesn’t make up for 8 or more hours of sedentary behaviour, nor can a single yoga class offset hours of stress and tension.
Experts at the Imagine Your Workplace Conference in Toronto, held at the beginning of June, say that if we want healthier, more productive employees, we also have to change the environment they work in.
As an intern at Sprout At Work, I’ve seen this happening firsthand in our Toronto office.
At Sprout, we have a variety of workspace options that employees can choose from throughout the day: shared workspaces, standing stations, treadmill desks, private meeting rooms and lounge spaces. These options encourage movement and diversity throughout the day — employees aren’t limited to one seat, day in, day out. A flexible setup also allows employees to choose the right environment for the task at hand: quiet space for focused work, phone calls, or one-on-one meetings; shared spaces for collaboration and teamwork.
Then comes understanding the value of taking your breaks — and taking a break that’s different from the work you’re doing for better recovery and productivity. At Sprout, there’s pingpong, afternoon yoga breaks, and other weekly activities that employees can join in on. You’re encouraged to take breaks throughout the day — go for a walk, eat lunch in the park, or even take a nap on the couch. Not only are breaks better for employee well-being, we also know they can be better for productivity than trying to power through on an empty tank.
Finally, workplace wellness is about the people: smiling faces, supportive colleagues, and accommodating supervisors. Employees are free to share their ideas, voice their concerns, and ask for support. There’s a sense of trust and commitment to Sprout’s mission and vision. Beyond that, Sprout is like a big family. There’s laughter, camaraderie, and connection that continues outside of the workplace.
So go beyond lunch and learns — create a workplace that encourages health and well-being within its walls to make a lasting change.
