We tend to stay in our offices for the majority of the day. Throughout the day, we are exposed to all sorts of allergens, germs, and we don’t get as much exercise sitting in front of a screen all day. Due to these, our physical and mental well-being can take a toll, but maintaining a healthy office environment can help keep morale and productivity up, as well as happy workers!
Here are 7 tips to maintain a healthy environment around the office that benefits the different health factors within ourselves. A healthy office is a productive office, so consider making a few adjustments into your workspace to keep a sound mind and body as you do your work!
1. Maintain Overall Health: Have the Office Regularly Cleaned
The cleanliness of your workspace is vital to how productive you can be. After all, how can you work well if you’re constantly surrounded by dirt and messes? Declutter your office, and have it regularly cleaned with professional cleaning services for a hassle-free cleaning that will leave you with a healthy office environment.
Don’t know where to start? An office cleaning checklist can guide you through the different cleaning tasks around the office so you don’t forget a single one! Keep your personal workspace clean and organized as well, and sanitize your desk daily to keep germs away.
2. For the Air: Get an Air Purifier
Sneezing and sniffling around the office? Before you blame it on the spring season, you may want to check the air quality in your office. Workplaces are typically packed places, and depending on the size of your office, you may not have good air circulation indoors.
An air purifier should help distribute clean air evenly throughout the workspace, and filter out the allergens, germs, and bacteria that may be lingering in the air. An air purifier can also filter out smoke, car exhaust, and other smells that can be harmful to your health. Healthy air promotes a healthy environment.
3. For Physical Health: Take a Walk Outside
Sitting around all day, staring at your laptop screen can stagnate your physical movements. Try the 20-20-20 rule, where you stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes to re-adjust your eyes. This will prevent eye strain, and help you refocus your vision without damaging your eyes permanently.
Alternatively, take a walk around the office or outside your office area to breathe some fresh air for at least 5 minutes every other hour or so. Doing this will help your body to gain some steps needed for the day, relax your muscles, and keep you focused on the tasks that you need to accomplish throughout the day.
4. For Keeping Germs Away: Instill Hygienic Practices around the Workplace
This goes without saying, but personal hygiene is a major factor in the overall cleanliness of the office. Instill hygienic practices around your workplace, especially during the pandemic or flu season. Keep sanitizing stations around the office, and encourage good handwashing practices for everyone in the office.
Hold hygiene seminars, and occasionally remind all employees that personal hygiene is the key to keeping germs away from the office, and keeping everyone healthy. Maintaining hygienic practices also decreases the chances of spreading disease around the office, so you can keep being productive at work!
5. Clean Water, Clean Health: Install Clean Water Systems
Clean water is a right, and your office should provide clean, safe drinking water for all employees. Water also keeps our bodies hydrated, and it is important to keep drinking water throughout the day, especially when the office air is dry.
Clean water should also be available in the pantry and bathroom, as these are areas where most people go to wash their hands and practice good sanitation. Handwashing prevents the spread of germs, which prevents people from getting sick around the office.
6. For the Environment: Reduce Waste and Paper Usage
Reducing office waste and going paperless may not feel like it directly affects your health, but beyond the office environment, our natural environment needs to maintain a healthy quality too. In a time where the effects of climate change are more devastating than ever, reducing our operational, day-to-day waste is key to keeping our earth in stable condition.
Instill waste management systems around the office, and make conscious efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle. As much as possible, go the paperless route to reduce your carbon footprint around the workplace, and encourage everyone to use reusable tumblers and food containers when eating.
7. For Healthy Eating: Avoid Takeout
Besides looking healthy on the outside, we need to maintain our health on the inside. It may be tempting to grab food with the convenience of takeout, but those restaurant prices can get really expensive, and all the grease and sugars in takeout food can damage your organs in the long run. Go for home-cooked meals instead.
Take your own meals into the office, and encourage others to do the same in efforts to keep a healthy environment around the office. Decrease the amount of times you choose to grab some takeout, or choose healthier options instead of the usual fried and sugary snacks. Your body will thank you!
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