Why is it that even though your workers sleep for 8 hours each night, eat reasonable meals during the day, and haven’t worked overtime, they still seem to be exhausted by 11 am and completely wiped out by 3 pm?
Modern workplaces seem to have developed a regular occurrence of this phenomenon. Constant notifications from emails and texts, back-to-back meetings, multitasking, and sitting at a desk for an extended period of time can contribute to employees feeling burned out. Even though individuals working in an office environment are not necessarily required to perform strenuous physical activity, they are constantly exerting mental energy throughout the day.
When an employee has been mentally worn out for an extended period, their performance, ability to concentrate, motivation, and well-being will be affected. This is where a corporate wellness program can really help.
What are the early signs of employee burnout?
According to a report from Gallup on the State of the Global Workforce, all over the world, the workforce is becoming less engaged, with a total of only 20% of employees engaged, translating to a loss of approximately $10 trillion in lost productivity. Although there is a significant number of employees thriving overall, 34% of them report experiencing high levels of everyday stressful experiences.
Burnout doesn’t always develop quickly; sometimes you can miss the early warnings. Employees may:
- Feel more tired before noon than they previously did.
- Find it harder to find motivation.
- Struggle to concentrate on tasks and projects
- Take longer to make basic decisions
- Get easily irritated when they have conversations with coworkers
- Notice a decrease in their quality of work
If the level of stress continues for an extended period without sufficient recovery, the brain continues to remain under constant pressure. The result is that employees are far less creative and have lower problem-solving ability than they would otherwise have if there were not a state of constant stress.
How Sitting All Day Creates a Chain Reaction of Health Problems
The amount of time spent seated in a sedentary workplace poses several health risks. When you sit for six hours or longer, here is how your body’s cells respond:
- The first consequence of being sedentary is 90% reduction in your levels of the enzyme responsible for burning fat and regulating blood glucose (sugar) levels in your body. Your body now has a storage capacity for energy rather than a burning capacity.
- The second effect of being sedentary is that your arteries are compressed, which results in a 3 to 6% reduction in blood flow to the brain. This ultimately leads to less oxygen being delivered to the brain, which can diminish your executive function, your ability to concentrate, and your capability to make appropriate decisions.
- When you are seated, the pressure on your spine is 40% higher than when you are standing. This results in chronic pain, which will cause your amygdala (the system that detects threats) to be activated, keeping you in a state of low-level fight or flight response throughout your workday.
- When you are experiencing chronic pain (due to lack of movement) and have reduced blood circulation in your body, cortisol levels remain elevated. This tells your body that it is in a state of constant threat.
- Elevated cortisol and low serotonin levels (due to lack of movement) can increase the risk of experiencing anxiety and depression. Sedentary employees are at a 47% greater risk of being depressed than active employees.
The effects of a sedentary working environment (no exercise) day in and day out greatly reduce one’s physical and mental health throughout the workday. This is evident by the low levels of mental and physical engagement many employees are exhibiting as the workday progresses into the afternoon.
Why Ambitious Corporate Wellness Programs Fail
The reason 80-90% of corporate wellness programs fail may be explained through the science of behaviour: In creating an ambitious program such as “Exercise 5 days/week. Follow a vegan diet. Meditate 30 minutes/day!” your brain’s executive control system becomes engaged, however limited. Each time you make a decision or rely on willpower to follow a new habit, you use mental energy from your brain’s executive control system, which can become exhausted over time.
The alternative to this type of program is using methods of habit stacking (associating new behaviours with existing behaviours), using techniques of environmental design instead of relying on willpower.
Scientific studies have shown that the time required for habit formation is, on average, 66 days for simple behaviours and averages 127-254 days for complex behaviours. Since most corporate wellness programs only last 8 to 12 weeks, they often do not run long enough to create lasting habits and meaningful behavioural change.
Small Habits That Create Measurable Impact
The best workplace wellness habits are simple and sustainable to follow daily. With small daily actions, you can positively impact employee focus, energy, and overall well-being.
- Movement: Short movement breaks throughout the workday can help increase energy levels and focus.
- Alternating between sitting and standing: Provides support to your posture, circulation, and comfort during extended periods of time spent at the desk.
- Hydration: Proper hydration helps keep energy and concentration levels high throughout the day.
- Healthy snacks: Eating healthy snacks will help avoid an afternoon slump and maintain productivity.
- Walking meetings: Exercise while improving creativity and collaboration.
- 20-20-20 Rule: The 20-20-20 rule is a simple habit that helps reduce eye strain from screens. Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives your eyes a short break and helps prevent tired, dry, or strained eyes.
- Breathing techniques: Simple relaxation techniques can help relieve stress and refocus.
These habits may seem insignificant on their own, but as a group, they address many of the daily stressors that contribute to employee burnout, stress, and decreased productivity.
How Basics and Beyond fitness & nutrition is bridging the Knowledge-Behavior Gap
While most employees know that they should be exercising more, eating healthier, and managing their stress levels, they have a much harder time implementing this knowledge into their daily routines. As a result, many corporate wellness programs fail to achieve their true potential.
Basics and Beyond fitness & nutrition focuses on the practical steps necessary for employees to become healthier in the workplace by implementing sustainable solutions that naturally integrate into their daily routine. Our services include:
On-site movement activities, such as stretching, yoga, and exercise classes, can be performed at the office.
Nutrition coaching with an emphasis on behavior change versus restrictive dieting, through a focus on developing realistic habits
Customised corporate wellness programs for each business based on their unique work environments and their specific challenges
Team-based initiatives that offer employees support in how to participate with the program without feeling pressured
Providing ongoing support and guidance for employees to help them incorporate healthy lifestyle behaviours into their work life for the long-term
We assist businesses with developing corporate wellness programs that will improve the accessibility, consistency, and sustainability of their employees to make healthier choices in the workplace rather than relying solely on motivation.
FAQs
Ques. 1: What is a corporate wellness program?
Ans: Corporate wellness programs are programs developed by companies to create a culture of wellness within their organisation by supporting their employees’ physical health, fitness & well-being as well as their mental wellness through fitness, stress management, and job satisfaction.
Ques. 2:How can a corporate wellness program improve productivity?
Ans: Studies show that employees who participate in corporate wellness programs typically feel more energetic, focused, and motivated than those who do not participate. This increased energy level results in improved productivity at work.
Ques. 3: Can a corporate wellness program reduce stress & burnout?
Ans: Yes, corporate wellness programs promote healthy habits and help individuals manage their stress levels, which leads to improved work/life balance. Therefore, corporate wellness programs provide an environment conducive to reducing stress and burnout.
Ques. 4: What Health improvements should employees expect from corporate wellness programs?
Ans: Through participation in a corporate wellness program, employees can expect to see positive changes in their overall health, such as increased energy, improved mobility, decreased stress, improved posture, and the establishment of healthier habits on a daily basis.
Ques. 5: Do employees need gym equipment for corporate wellness programs?
Ans: No, most activities offered in the corporate wellness program can be performed using simple body weight movements or exercises and do not require any specialized equipment or a gym (examples of these types of activities include push-ups, squats, lunges, etc.). Employees can complete the activities either at their workplace or at home.
Ques. 6: Will employees receive a personalised corporate wellness program?
Ans: Corporate wellness programs at Basics and Beyond fitness & nutrition can be personalised based on an employee’s fitness level, the needs of their organisation, and individual goals established by the employee.