How much time do you focus on health and wellness?
If you're like most working Americans, you spend nearly a third of each workday at the office or job site. With nearly another third of the day spent sleeping and the other third on everything else, it may seem that you don't get enough time to eat healthy, exercise and enjoy other wellness-related activities.
These days, however, more and more companies are recognizing that work and wellness aren't mutually exclusive pursuits. Guided by the desire to meet the demands of employees who are looking to maintain a life-work balance, and with clear proof that helping employees achieve good health will have beneficial workplace impacts, many workplaces have taken steps to enrich the lives of their employees.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the workplace, "an important setting for health protection, health promotion and disease prevention programs" that can reduce health risks and improve the quality of life for workers. A healthier workplace, consequently, can lead to lower insurance premiums, fewer worker's compensation claims and could also lead to fewer missed days of work and increased productivity.
While many employers offer health educational classes, access to exercise rooms and engage in traditional healthy workplace initiatives, there are some businesses that have instituted unique and creative practices that help their employees stay healthy.
One company that goes out of its way to promote employee well-being is Carlsbad-based prAna, which manufactures sustainable apparel for yoga, climbing and other outdoor activities.
Jennifer Tokatyan, the company's vice president of human resources, said prAna takes a holistic view of its employee's well-being, one that focusing on promoting healthy bodies, minds and souls.
"Our company's vision is to inspire healthy, mindful and free-spirited living," said Tokatyan. "One of our values as a company is life-work balance, so it all works together. Our vision is what we're trying to create for our customer and our brand, but we live that through and through as employees."
When it comes to fitness, prAna has facilities on site where employees can work out. It features workout equipment, DVD players that employees use for workouts as well as daily fitness routines from instructors who come in to lead yoga, barre, and Zumba classes. The company also has showers, and racks for employees to park their bicycles and surf boards.
The outside of prAna's building has a climbing boulder that gets a lot of use, especially in the summer.
One of prAna's longstanding traditions is promoting a minute of mindfulness. Once a day, between 2:30 and 4 p.m. a gong goes off.
"When the gong goes off, people stop what they're doing," Tokatyan said. "Some meditate, stretch, do yoga, but it's amazing what can happen in that one short minute when you stop, shift and be present."
The efforts have had a positive impact on prAna, said Tokatyan. Employees have high energy levels and the company has a low turnover rate, about 10 percent. The work environment also makes prAna a desirable place to work, and helps it recruit talented employees.
Companies don't need comprehensive programs like prAna's to see benefits.
Motivating The Masses, which offers business coaching and professional development services to small businesses, stocks its refrigerator with healthy food, including salads, teas, fruit and shakes.
According to company President Susie Carder, the idea started when CEO Lisa Nichols watched a documentary about Google and was impressed with the company's commitment to the health and well-being of its employees.
"We are nowhere near Google's size, but our heart and intention is the same," said Carder. "Google has a cafeteria with a private chef, we have a kitchen with a fully stocked refrigerator. We honor people's request for shakes, fruits, organic foods and bars, salads and greens."
Not having to leave the office for lunch increases productivity and enables employees to make healthier choices. It's truly a worthy investment, Carder added.
"We save roughly 10 percent of the cost or $84,000 annually on productivity and we invest roughly $9,600 in keeping the refrigerator stocked," she said.
"Another amazing benefit is team-building, we all sit in the kitchen together at different times, making lunch for each other and celebrating our accomplishments and discussing projects."
Another company, Productive Computing, recently purchased a stand-up desk for one of its employees, and she says it has made a remarkable difference.
Sally Schoonover, a production manager for the San Marcos-based computer and software consultancy company, said she saw an ad for the desk in Skymall Magazine and presented the idea to co-founders Marc and Keith Larochelle, who agreed to make the purchase.
She got it in October and now stands, and dances, throughout her workday.
"I don't have the aches in my lower back that I usually did now that I'm standing instead of sitting," she said. "It makes my day a little bit better. I just seem to think better when I'm doing my work when I'm standing, and overall it has helped with how I feel and how I do my work."
Solatube Global Marketing in Carlsbad has also seen a benefit in specialized office equipment, including work stations that feature ergonomic balance balls instead of chairs, ergonomic keyboards and adjustable monitors that achieve the correct height and depth for employees. In addition, the company promotes a healthy workplace by offering two free weekly yoga classes for its employees, and by providing fitness and sleep tracking wristbands that allows employees to check their activity levels and encourage each other to live more active lifestyles outside of work.
"The positive effects are numerous," said David Tetzlaf, Solatube's marketing manager.
The wristbands remind employees to be more active during work hours and to discuss their activities outside of work, which are also tracked. They also use the wristband's phone app to leave encouraging messages for one another.
Solatube's yoga classes were started by company President Brett Hanley several years ago. The classes are free for employees, and are provided during working hours, so no one has to stay late, come early or comprise their lunch time.
"The Yoga gets us moving and provides a nice mental break during the day so that we can come back to our desks, refreshed and clear of any stresses," said Tetzlaf.
The company also has a video game system that allows employees to have breaks to play games. It also has a selection of workout and dance games to keep employees active.
If you're like most working Americans, you spend nearly a third of each workday at the office or job site. With nearly another third of the day spent sleeping and the other third on everything else, it may seem that you don't get enough time to eat healthy, exercise and enjoy other wellness-related activities.
These days, however, more and more companies are recognizing that work and wellness aren't mutually exclusive pursuits. Guided by the desire to meet the demands of employees who are looking to maintain a life-work balance, and with clear proof that helping employees achieve good health will have beneficial workplace impacts, many workplaces have taken steps to enrich the lives of their employees.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the workplace, "an important setting for health protection, health promotion and disease prevention programs" that can reduce health risks and improve the quality of life for workers. A healthier workplace, consequently, can lead to lower insurance premiums, fewer worker's compensation claims and could also lead to fewer missed days of work and increased productivity.
While many employers offer health educational classes, access to exercise rooms and engage in traditional healthy workplace initiatives, there are some businesses that have instituted unique and creative practices that help their employees stay healthy.
One company that goes out of its way to promote employee well-being is Carlsbad-based prAna, which manufactures sustainable apparel for yoga, climbing and other outdoor activities.
Jennifer Tokatyan, the company's vice president of human resources, said prAna takes a holistic view of its employee's well-being, one that focusing on promoting healthy bodies, minds and souls.
"Our company's vision is to inspire healthy, mindful and free-spirited living," said Tokatyan. "One of our values as a company is life-work balance, so it all works together. Our vision is what we're trying to create for our customer and our brand, but we live that through and through as employees."
When it comes to fitness, prAna has facilities on site where employees can work out. It features workout equipment, DVD players that employees use for workouts as well as daily fitness routines from instructors who come in to lead yoga, barre, and Zumba classes. The company also has showers, and racks for employees to park their bicycles and surf boards.
The outside of prAna's building has a climbing boulder that gets a lot of use, especially in the summer.
One of prAna's longstanding traditions is promoting a minute of mindfulness. Once a day, between 2:30 and 4 p.m. a gong goes off.
"When the gong goes off, people stop what they're doing," Tokatyan said. "Some meditate, stretch, do yoga, but it's amazing what can happen in that one short minute when you stop, shift and be present."
The efforts have had a positive impact on prAna, said Tokatyan. Employees have high energy levels and the company has a low turnover rate, about 10 percent. The work environment also makes prAna a desirable place to work, and helps it recruit talented employees.
Companies don't need comprehensive programs like prAna's to see benefits.
Motivating The Masses, which offers business coaching and professional development services to small businesses, stocks its refrigerator with healthy food, including salads, teas, fruit and shakes.
According to company President Susie Carder, the idea started when CEO Lisa Nichols watched a documentary about Google and was impressed with the company's commitment to the health and well-being of its employees.
"We are nowhere near Google's size, but our heart and intention is the same," said Carder. "Google has a cafeteria with a private chef, we have a kitchen with a fully stocked refrigerator. We honor people's request for shakes, fruits, organic foods and bars, salads and greens."
Not having to leave the office for lunch increases productivity and enables employees to make healthier choices. It's truly a worthy investment, Carder added.
"We save roughly 10 percent of the cost or $84,000 annually on productivity and we invest roughly $9,600 in keeping the refrigerator stocked," she said.
"Another amazing benefit is team-building, we all sit in the kitchen together at different times, making lunch for each other and celebrating our accomplishments and discussing projects."
Another company, Productive Computing, recently purchased a stand-up desk for one of its employees, and she says it has made a remarkable difference.
Sally Schoonover, a production manager for the San Marcos-based computer and software consultancy company, said she saw an ad for the desk in Skymall Magazine and presented the idea to co-founders Marc and Keith Larochelle, who agreed to make the purchase.
She got it in October and now stands, and dances, throughout her workday.
"I don't have the aches in my lower back that I usually did now that I'm standing instead of sitting," she said. "It makes my day a little bit better. I just seem to think better when I'm doing my work when I'm standing, and overall it has helped with how I feel and how I do my work."
Solatube Global Marketing in Carlsbad has also seen a benefit in specialized office equipment, including work stations that feature ergonomic balance balls instead of chairs, ergonomic keyboards and adjustable monitors that achieve the correct height and depth for employees. In addition, the company promotes a healthy workplace by offering two free weekly yoga classes for its employees, and by providing fitness and sleep tracking wristbands that allows employees to check their activity levels and encourage each other to live more active lifestyles outside of work.
"The positive effects are numerous," said David Tetzlaf, Solatube's marketing manager.
The wristbands remind employees to be more active during work hours and to discuss their activities outside of work, which are also tracked. They also use the wristband's phone app to leave encouraging messages for one another.
Solatube's yoga classes were started by company President Brett Hanley several years ago. The classes are free for employees, and are provided during working hours, so no one has to stay late, come early or comprise their lunch time.
"The Yoga gets us moving and provides a nice mental break during the day so that we can come back to our desks, refreshed and clear of any stresses," said Tetzlaf.
The company also has a video game system that allows employees to have breaks to play games. It also has a selection of workout and dance games to keep employees active.