HAMILTON, ON (October 3, 2012) – With memories of fun-filled summer vacations fading away, fall typically ushers in a ‘back to business’ mentality in the workplace and in the home. With it, comes shorter days of sunshine, longer days of work, less time for physical activity and the potential for work-life balance conflicts. Employers can play a critical role in addressing these concerns, with benefits for both the workers and bottom-line results to the organization.
“The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety recognizes that fall can be a very busy time for Canadian workers, who may become vulnerable to stress, burnout and illness,” says Steve Horvath, President and CEO at the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. “However, studies have shown that employees who work in an environment where healthy habits and physical activity during the workday are encouraged, report higher levels of health and well-being, increased job satisfaction and productivity, better relations with co-workers, and reduced absenteeism.”
A healthy workplace results when corporate policies and procedures are enhanced and strengthened by a management team that actively promotes a culture of healthy living and creates opportunities for physical activity to take place at work. For example:
- Implementing “active” breaks during the day for stretching or walking
- Subsidizing fitness memberships or classes
- Avoiding scheduling of meetings over the lunch hour
- Offering flex time for physical activity
- Leveraging community resources (local gyms, running trails, animal shelters in need of volunteer dog walkers) to encourage physical activity
- Reminding employees of the importance of good hygiene habits such as hand washing and staying home when ill
- Organizing healthy lunch potlucks or recipe challenges
For a number of free resources to help promote health in the workplace, visit http://www.ccohs.ca/keytopics/healthy_wplaces.html.
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