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Par Nicole Hrechka et Callie Woodley, Wellness Works Canada
Le bien-être des employés a toujours été important, mais en raison de la pandémie de grippe aviaire, la santé et le bien-être des employés sont plus que jamais d'actualité. Les initiatives en matière de santé mentale, l'accent mis sur la santé physique et une meilleure intégration de la vie professionnelle et de la vie privée sont autant de priorités pour les employeurs. L'année écoulée nous a permis de prendre conscience de l'importance du bien-être des salariés et de son impact sur la productivité et les performances de l'entreprise. Lorsque les employés sont soutenus sur le lieu de travail pour se sentir au mieux physiquement et mentalement, ils peuvent donner le meilleur d'eux-mêmes dans tous les aspects de leur vie. Cependant, l'importance de la nutrition sur le lieu de travail est une pièce du puzzle dont on parle rarement. Il a été démontré que la nutrition sur le lieu de travail influence fortement le bien-être des employés ainsi que la productivité et les performances de l'organisation. Voici comment.
Healthy eating improves employee productivity. Good, nutritious food provides people with vitamins and nutrients that the human brain needs to function properly. When our brains are fueled properly this helps to increase cognitive function, concentration, energy, mood, and self-esteem. This in turn creates happier and, generally, more productive employees. Because organizational success typically relies on the productivity and performance of its employees, proper nutrition that fuels employee bodies and brains is crucial. When employees are eating nutritiously, physical and mental well-being are enhanced, which can reduce absenteeism, thus increasing overall organization-wide productivity.
Providing healthy options in the workplace will lower your organization’s costs. Better nutrition can lead to a reduction in the likeliness of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and certain forms of cancer. A large portion of corporate healthcare expenses are chronic disease related, with many of these chronic diseases being diet related (or partially preventable through diet). According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation 80% of premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented through life habits, such as a proper and balanced diet. Investing and supporting employee’s nutrition increases the health of employees and the overall organization, while at the same time helping to reduce costs in the long run. Chronic diseases that stem from poor nutrition can lead to absenteeism in addition to productivity losses in the form of functional limitation. Healthy food options should be provided at the workplace! This will save employees the time searching for affordable, fast and nutritious lunches. Healthy foods that should be made accessible in the workplace include: fruits, vegetables, yogurt, granola and protein bars, and oatmeal.
How does the workplace influence nutrition? Now that we understand the benefits of healthy eating in the workplace, we have to recognize just how big of a role the workplace can play in fostering eating habits (whether good or bad). For many, work can be a stressor and can be physically and mentally draining due to unpredictable or demanding schedules. On top of this, the workplace is filled with other people and a culture that may or may not value healthy eating which influences the food choices being made. Think about how many times you’ve been to a meeting and the snack provided is donuts. Now think about how many times you’ve been to a meeting and the snack provided is vegetables or protein bars. Our guess is that more often than not we see more donuts pop up at our meetings rather than vegetables. However there are steps that we can take to help support and encourage healthier eating habits in your employees. Here are a few tips from AHS to better support good employee nutrition in your organization.
Make sure healthy snacks are available. Ditch the candy bars in the vending machine and stock it with snacks that are lower in salt, sodium, and fat such as granola bars or protein bars. Also try providing more options such as fruits, vegetables, granola bars, yogurt, and protein bars at meetings or workplace gatherings.
Ensure physical spaces promote healthy eating. Examples of this include providing plenty of seating, cooking appliances, refrigerators, microwaves, etc. In addition, ensuring that there is equipment to store and prepare food at work can encourage healthy habits.
Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk! Lead by example and practice healthy eating habits to encourage your employees to do the same.
Educate employees. Provide training on the importance of healthy eating and empower employees to improve their health at work and at home.
Schedule meetings outside of meal times. This ensures employees have the time to cook and prepare healthier meal options.
Create a healthy eating policy. Creating a policy around healthy eating ensures that nutrition becomes embedded within your organization's culture and that meetings and events have healthy options available. Take the time to celebrate healthy eating successes in the workplace!
Vous avez besoin d'aide pour élaborer une politique ? Consultez les lignes directrices locales "manger malin, rencontrer malin". Si nous en avons oublié une, faites-le nous savoir et nous l'ajouterons !
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À propos des auteurs
Callie Woodley: Callie is currently a Sports and Recreation Management student at the University of Alberta, completing her internship as the Social Media Lead with Wellness Works Canada. She is also in the process of obtaining her Social Media Certificate from the University of Alberta. Her undergraduate studies have given her the opportunity to explore many different fields, and through her internship with Wellness Works Canada she has developed a new strong passion for promoting healthy work cultures that value and support their employees.
Nicole Hrechka
Nicole est en quatrième année du programme de baccalauréat en kinésiologie à l'Université de l'Alberta. Avant de commencer ce programme, elle a obtenu un diplôme en administration des affaires avec une spécialisation en marketing au Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Grâce à son stage auprès de Wellness Works Canada, elle a développé une passion pour la promotion de la santé et du bien-être en milieu de travail. En dehors du travail et de l'école, Nicole aime pratiquer des sports récréatifs, faire du conditionnement physique et jouer avec son chien Gracie !
