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