Working in an office can be super busy; with deadlines to meet and clients to look after. But in order to meet the demands of the working day with maximum efficiency, it’s equally important to remember to look after yourself.

Staying healthy is incredibly important here at CleverClicks, which is why we place such a major emphasis on it.

Whether it’s getting enough exercise, achieving that prime work-life balance, or simply feeling good at work, we’ve got it covered.

These are 6 office health hacks that we swear by:

1. Office Health Goals

Without goals, you can spend your entire life running up and down the field without being able to actually score. This is why we think setting goals in the office is so important – and that includes health goals.

Each of our team members decide on their own health goal for the month, which is then  displayed on our big blackboard for us to see each day. The goals can range from going to gym four times a week, starting a new form of martial arts, or going one month without cigarettes. The choice is completely up to the individual.

Having health goals written down with team members reporting back on their weekly progress really gives people a sense of ownership for their goal, with an enhanced desire to achieve it.

In a Harvard study,the 3% of students who wrote down their goals (with a concrete plan) ended up earning 10x more than their non goal-writing peers. The exact same applies to health driven goals.

2. Wellness Allowance

Nothing gets people moving more than a monthly wellness allowance to be spent on any physical activity available, whether it’s boxing classes, yoga sessions, or a gym membership.

Getting out and signing up for one of these things is hard enough, made slightly harder with the cost that comes with it. But the monthly health allowance has got our entire team going full speed ahead, all guns blazing. We just can’t get enough of that sweet exercise.

Exercise has also shown to result in better performance in the workplace.  It releases those good kind of chemicals in the brain, reducing stress and anxiety, while boosting confidence.

Sounds like a real win-win, right?

3. Team Events

We love competition. But not in the “win at all costs” kind of way. More in the way that encourages good teamwork, pushes people to their limits, and gives everyone that sense of accomplishment when achieving something really challenging.

From surfing, team adventure races and inter-agency cricket matches, there’s no team event out there that we haven’t been up for.

They provide great physical exercise, as well as some invaluable team bonding (which goes a long way for positive mental health in the office!).

4. Flexi-Hours & Remote Working

A huge part of keeping your body healthy is having a healthy mind and soul. One of the ways we achieve this is encouraging flexi-hours and remote working.

Basically, we think 9-5 jobs really suck. Having the freedom to structure your day around your other passions or daily errands is the gateway to the perfect work-life balance. Leading to better performance at work with less stress, better health habits, and greater overall levels of happiness.

The benefits of remote working are so great, we’ve dedicated an entire infographic to them. It’s been found that 95% of employers say that remote working has a huge impact on employee retention.

It’s good to remember that mental health is just as important as physical health.

5. Standing Instead of Sitting

In a study of people suffering from lower back pain, 32% reported that their pain was reduced significantly after a few weeks of alternating between sitting and using a standing desk.

These studies have also shown that this leads to an improvement in people’s daily moods and energy levels, with an increase in overall productivity.

We’ve tried to take this on to a degree in our office, with “standing meetings” not an uncommon occurrence.

On a side note – these standing meetings also tend to ensure things don’t drag out, and the team sticks to discussing the most important items without getting distracted with all those nitty gritties.

6. Green Walls & Plants

Environmental psychologists have linked shades of green with enhanced creativity in the office. We’ve taken it one step further and surrounded our office with a blooming rainforest engulfed with bright green leaves everywhere!

Plants are also said to be really great from a psychological point of view, contributing towards an atmosphere of wellness and zen.

Mental and physical health is an integral part of our culture, and we can’t stress enough how important it is to take it into account in the workplace.

Employees will be forever grateful and return the favour with superior work performance and long-term loyalty.

We love our health. And because of it, we’re better at our work.

 

 

Tags: company culture, culture