Taking Action Doesn’t Have to Cost A Lot of Money

Check out these policies, strategies and actions to learn easy ways to have a high impact on employee health.

Healthy Eating | Physical Activity | Overall Well-Being and Stress Management

Strategies to Promote Healthy Eating in the Workplace

• Providing access to a kitchen with a refrigerator, microwave, and stove for meal preparation
• Providing filtered water at no cost
• Providing healthy vending machine options as alternatives to sodas
  
• Discouraging advertisement of unhealthy foods on the premises
• Provide access or incentives to participate in nutrition or healthy cooking classes, weight loss programs, health and nutritional coaching programs, local gardens
• Provide access to nutritional educational materials and/or speakers on-site
• Provide access to nutrition portals, such as that sponsored by American Diabetes Association/CDC
• Encouraging employees to take a minimum of 30 minutes for lunch/dinner away from their desk
• Serving healthy food options at staff and client meetings
• Encouraging only occasional celebrations with food, as opposed to weekly birthday celebrations
• Discouraging employees from routinely bringing high fat, sugar and salted foods and leaving them out in public places for other employees to eat
• Discourage solicitation of employees at work to purchase unhealthy foods such as cookies and
• Provide incentives to purchase food at local farmer’s markets or join food cooperatives

Strategies to Encourage Physical Activity During the Workday

• Encourage active transportation to work, such as walking, biking or metro
• Offer parking and security for bicycles
• Provide access to exercise classes on-site or through discounted membership to a fitness center, gymnasium, or classes
• Provide shower facilities to encourage exercise before, during or after work
• Encourage employees to take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Promote stretch and move breaks every two hours if sitting for long periods
• Model “stretch and move” activities during long staff meetings/retreats
• Participate in community-wide physical activity opportunities, such as sports teams, walking clubs, or races

Supporting Overall Well-Being and Stress Management

• Support nursing mothers when they return to work by:

- Encouraging pregnant women and new mothers to breastfeed through the availability of easy to understand information.

- Providing a comfortable, private space for employees and clients to nurse or pump.

- Providing flexible breaks for employees to allow time for pumping milk.

- Ensuring availability of a refrigerator.

• Provide speakers on stress management and reduction
• Offer access to meditation, Tai Chi and/or yoga classes during work hours
• Encourage employees to break for lunch
• Encourage employees to engage in physical activity
• Facilitate team building and morale boosting activities
• Participate in EAP programs or providing access to counselors, on or off site