Wellness in the Workplace

How we Achieve Wellness in the Workplace

By Lynda Watson, Office Administrator, Pythagoras

In this day and age we all try to juggle our work and social lives, then you try adding exercise into the equation and we wonder how we will ever truly find the time for everything. More and more people are now becoming health conscious, adapting their lifestyles to incorporate a healthier diet and be more aware of their mental health. As we have seen on the news, in advertising, and on social media, promoting awareness for a healthier lifestyle is very prominent now and more people are starting to sit up and listen.

Being healthy in body and in mind has always been a passion of mine and since I have started working at Pythagoras, I have had the opportunity to become more involved in the wellness of my colleagues.

Since May 2014, Pythagoras has made it a focus to promote health and well-being and all staff are encouraged to get involved and take part. For Pythagoras, making sure employees remain happy, healthy and engaged is fundamental to sustainable business performance. The Annual May Wellness Challenge is a great chance for us to enjoy spending time with each other to focus on improving our health and wellbeing.

Here are some of the challenges we have completed to date:

  • 10,000 Steps Challenge

    Colleagues were challenged to walk 10,000 steps each day for a month, which unsurprisingly was harder that thought, particularly for office-based staff who commonly do not get the opportunity to move around a lot during the day.

  • Identifying and Managing Stess

    In May 2015, we looked at general exercise and talked about identifying and managing stress, relaxation tips and stretches that we can do at our desks.

  • Water Consumption, Walking and Cycling

    May 2016 saw the water, walking and cycling challenges. These challenges were daily and over the course of a month. We challenged staff to drink two litres of water a day; walk/run one-mile a day/seven-miles a week, or cycle for 4 miles a day/28-miles a week. Each member of staff completed one or all of the challenges.

This year we have completed: Dry January; Dechox month (No chocolate or favourite snacks in March); a climbing challenge to see how many flights of stairs colleagues can complete over a month; and a step challenge to see how far colleagues can walk/run in a month. We even had an app created for the climbing and step challenges so colleagues could keep track of how they were doing and if they were competitive, they could see who their closest competitors were.

Here at Pythagoras, we think about well-being all year round. We have a monthly newsletter, which includes a health and fitness tip, and staff participate in office yoga one lunchtime a week, yoga sessions after work, and also meditation sessions. Additionally, we have a Health and Fitness Yammer group to encourage the sharing of related news, articles, and discussions; and we have a Thought for the Week that we have displayed in each of the offices, and share on Wednesdays on our Twitter and Facebook channels.

I am always looking for new ways to engage my colleagues in fun challenges and initiatives to encourage better wellbeing in the workplace and in their personal lives.

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