Ergonomics and Healthy Foods in the Workplace

Did you know that an average adult spends more time at their workplace than anywhere else? A survey conducted by Huffington Post affirms this. It reports that an average person spends approximately 13 years and two months of their lives at work. If you factor in overtime, a person could spend an additional year and two months in the workplace.

This data helps us understand the crucial role the workplace plays in the economy and our society. The workplace provides our source of income that goes into our everyday needs and expenses

However, the big question still remains, does this provision have to come at the expense of our health?

Don’t they say health is wealth?

For employees to continue being productive at the workplace, there should be measures and provisions put in place to enable employees to perform their best.

One cogent workplace atmosphere to be keenly considered is the ergonomics of the workplace. The importance of this critical workplace requirement cannot be overemphasised. It plays a role in the productivity of employees.

What then is Ergonomics?

Ergonomics is the process of designing or arranging furniture, products, systems, and devices such that they fit the user in such a way that it minimizes the risk of injury or harm.

The essence of ergonomics is to create a suitable, risk-free, and productive work environment by incorporating health and design features relating to positioning and adjustments factoring — body size, height, strength, etc.

Ergonomics and the Workplace

Employers and companies that prioritize productivity need to pay attention to ergonomics and the role that it plays on how productive employees can be. In 2018, the outcome of a survey indicated that an office worker spends an average of 1,700 hours per year in front of their computer screen — that sums up to over 70 days of sitting at a desk.

However, sitting for an extended period can come at a costly price as it has an adverse effect that results in musculoskeletal disorders which includes severe back and waist pains.

These ergonomic factors have the tendencies of affecting employee performance and productivity, which is why it is very necessary to introduce healthy work practices in the workplace to reduce its effect on employees and productivity.

One of the many ways employers can effectively get around this is by encouraging and promoting healthy food eating patterns in the workplace.

Healthy Food in the Workplace

Food is one of man’s basic necessities. It is vital for carrying out our daily activities. The workplace is not exempted from those daily activities. Eating healthy food has an impact on how efficient and productive employees can be in the workplace.

Healthy foods are those foods that give an employee the nutrients they need to maintain their health, feel good, and be energised.

These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals.

A study report in the British Journal of Health Psychology shows that not only can healthy foods provide us with the energy we need; they also can make us happier, more engaged, and more creative.

A happy employee tends to be more engaged and motivated. This is because healthy foods contain nutrients that foster the production of dopamine which is essential in the motivation and engagement of employees.

Benefits of Healthy Eating at the Workplace

Not only does healthy eating habits contribute to the reduction of possible ergonomic hazards, but it can also influence the long-term health and wellness of employees.

Some of the benefits include;

1. Increases employee productivity.

2. A boost in the concentration level of employees.

3. It helps reduce the tendency of employees suffering from chronic illnesses or injuries at work.

4. Decrease in medical claims related to chronic work conditions.

Employers can adopt some of the following practices at the workplace to encourage healthy eating

1. Developing and implementing workplace policies that promote healthy eating: Incorporating this into the workplace structure improves the mood around the work environment, improves team bonding, and capable of bringing the best out of employees.

2. Offering healthy foods in the company cafeteria and during meetings:

Providing healthy meal options in the staff cafeteria is an effective way of motivating employees. During meetings or other workplace events, companies can also order healthy meals from eateries using the Eazzy Eats platform, and the meals get delivered to the workplace or at the venue of the meeting.

3. Making provisions for a kitchen space, microwave and refrigerator for employees to preserve meals:

Having these necessities in the workplace helps employees focus more on their work.

4. Circulating of information regarding healthy eating and nutrition through emails: Sending out regular reminders to employees about their health and eating habits can go a long way. It goes to show how much employees matter to the company, which will ultimately have a positive impact on their work input.

Employers play a massive role in getting the best of their employees and increasing productivity which will eventually lead to an increase in revenue. Proactively reducing the negative impact of ergonomic hazards and promoting healthy eating in the workplace is one way to ensure increased productivity employee dedication is sustained.