As Health and Wellness writers, a lot of our time is spent researching the industry, which means that we’re constantly exposed to a myriad of tips and tricks for promoting and cultivating a healthy lifestyle. Whether it’s self-care hacks or discovering the benefits of a five-minute morning meditation, we like to take on board as much as we can and try to implement them in our own lives. An area we’ve found ourselves particularly drawn to is health and wellness in the workplace, specifically ideas about how we create a happy, healthy office environment for our team.
Although the overall benefits of this may be obvious (increased productivity and efficiency, increased self-esteem and self-worth, more opportunities for growth, clearer communication…the list is endless!), the steps to achieving these benefits aren’t always so clear. Over the last year or so, The Edwards Company team has made a combined effort to improve our office environment, both for our physical and mental health, and we thought it might be beneficial for you and your business if we shared some of the things that have worked for us.
Cultivating a Happy, Healthy Workplace
Plants make our Business Bloom
It seems like such a small thing, but we can’t stress enough how much of a difference plants make to our working environment! Not only do they look pretty and brighten up our office space, but they also help to clean indoor air by absorbing unwanted toxins, increasing humidity and producing oxygen.
We won’t go all technical on you, but us human being need a certain amount of air humidity to function correctly, and office space doesn’t always provide that. With central heating, air-conditioning and computer monitors all constantly in use, the air can dry out, leaving us feeling fatigued. The introduction of just a few plants puts all that moisture back into the air, reducing feelings of tiredness, boosting mood and increasing productivity and creativity.
The team were so impressed by this information that we’ve recently subscribed to Bloombox. With a keen focus on improving the overall health and happiness of home and work environments alike, Bloombox provides us with one plant monthly to add to our growing collection (currently known as Pamala, Wendy, Carlos, Pearl, Phil & Peter!). Each month we look forward to our new plant arriving and take great pleasure – perhaps a little too much – in naming them. They brighten up our office, whilst working to improve the air quality and overall health and happiness of our team.
Any Excuse for a Celebration
Our work is extremely important to us, and we work hard! That’s why, occasionally, we’re prone to throwing a little celebration to level out that work-life balance. Having celebrations in the workplace throughout the year (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, promotions…anything you like!) helps to build relationships between co-workers, relieve built-up pressure and stress and allows you to show your team that their hard work is valued. Research does show team members who feel seen and appreciated show increased levels of productivity and efficiency. Still, for us, it’s more just about injecting a little fun into our everyday lives and giving our team a little happiness boost.
And the celebrations don’t have to be big to be effective! Yes, we may have dressed up for Halloween and organised a whole three days of games and competitions, but we also may just celebrate the onboarding of a new client by ordering ourselves a nice lunch from the local bakery. Either way, big or small, the results are the same, and the impact on employee health and wellness is priceless.
P.S. decorations help too – check out our Insta @edwardcompanyva to see our spooky Halloween set-up!
Keeping up with The Edwards Company – our Internal Newsletter
At the beginning of every month, the entirety of our team will receive a neatly packaged, easy to read, visually appealing internal newsletter in their inbox. It’s only a few pages long and usually features a fun picture on the front (cute dogs are our go-to at the moment), but it works to improve the overall health and happiness of our workplace and the people in it!
Inside our newsletter, we’ll make sure to detail all things positive! A run-down of our monthly highlights, company achievements, a thank you (or ten) and a few more fun pictures for good measure. But, perhaps most importantly, we’ll always include a few articles that are our way of giving something back to our team in return for their hard work. And, you’ve guessed it, these articles are usually linked to improving health and wellness in one way or another. Take our November newsletter, for example – it featured a short article that recommended five films to watch on Netflix throughout December. Sounds simple, but it also actively encouraged our team to take some time out for themselves, pop on a cheesy Christmas film and relax. Employees who take valuable time away from work – at the weekends or during the evenings – are better equipped to cope with the pressures of the working world, making once more for a happier, healthier team.
Sending out a monthly newsletter also ensures that your team feels involved in business decisions and prompts more conversation, leading to better levels of communication across the board. The benefits are endless; trust us on this one!
Cultivating a happy, healthy work environment doesn’t have to involve budget-breaking wellness programmes or bringing your yoga mat to business meetings. It can be something as simple as stocking up on a few more plants, celebrating a company achievement, or sending out an optimistic monthly newsletter. As long as the steps you take are focused on improving health and wellness in the workplace, the benefits will come. We’ve seen it for ourselves!
We are located in Wombourne, West Midlands and have local clients in Wolverhampton, Birmingham and surrounding areas. As we specialise in health and wellness, we have clients around the UK and are proud to support cleaners, massage therapists, health spas and pet therapists (to name just a few!).
Please get in touch for further info about our services.