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3 tips to stimulate vitality on the work floor
How to raise awareness about vitality in the workplace? 3 tips: focus on the work environment, talk about it, and teach managers how to deal with this topic. Because vibrant employees will gladly go the extra mile for your organisation.
First things first: what is vitality?
Being vital means feeling good about yourself, both physically and mentally. When you feel good, you are bursting with energy and better able to handle everyday ups and downs. Stressed about approaching deadlines? Having to deal with difficult clients on a regular basis? What to do with that overflowing mailbox? If you run into these kinds of situations, showing up for work feeling healthy is extra important. And that actually means all kinds of things: sleeping well, getting enough exercise, eating healthy, dealing with stress and having pleasant social interactions with others. At home and at work.
And this is precisely why vitality is top of mind for many L&D and HR professionals. Because employees who feel good about themselves are less likely to be ill, are happier and more productive. But how can you, as an employer, influence such a personal matter?
Awareness: everyone 'comfortable in their skin'
Raising awareness about vitality is essential. But how do you go about this in practical terms? Besides a fruit bowl at the coffee machine, "take the stairs" stickers on elevator doors and sponsored water bottles, invest in a vitality programme. Let employees discover at their own pace and time how healthy they are and what they can do to improve their health.
Vital employees
in 3 steps
#1: Focus on the work environment first
Address the work environment first, so that every employee comes to work feeling healthy and feels energized while at work. This is not about simply telling employees to get enough sleep, eat fruit or exercise more. It's about making them aware of their performance compared to the norm. By making their performance insightful, you motivate people to put more energy into their vitality.
And have you thought about activities that are easy to set up? For example, introduce the idea of going for a run with colleagues every Tuesday before lunch, as we do. Or maybe you could make a deal with the local gym to go play squash or paddle with your team once a week.
#2: Talk about it
By making vitality a topic of discussion, employees are more likely to feel heard. As a result, they are more likely to ask for help if something is not going well. That way you can pick up problems sooner and offer the right help.
Give your employees ownership to work on vitality in a safe online training environment and encourage open conversations about it. And to keep the topic top-of-mind, use playful elements such as a simulation game. That only improves the atmosphere at work!
#3: Help managers create vital teams
Have managers start each day with a daily check-in with their team. After all, managers are usually the first point of contact when someone is not feeling well. Help your managers deal with this by asking employees a short question to gauge how they are doing. This keeps the manager informed of what's going on. This helps identify possible stressors and it becomes a habit to ask about their state of mind. Before you know it, you're building a bridge to vitality - all during a simple check-in. No fuss, just a normal routine.
Besides: good example follows. So healthy managers create healthy teams. ;-)