Why Is Nutrition The Ignored Aspect In A Corporate Wellness Program?
Corporate wellness programs are becoming more popular today as companies are recognizing the link between employee health and productivity. Companies are trying to keep their employees happy and efficient by introducing standing desks, providing fitness bands, setting up on-site gyms with changing and shower facilities, organizing yoga and zumba sessions, organizing marathons and cricket tournaments and also arranging for an on-site doctor. However, in many of these employee wellness programs, scant attention is given to nutrition which is an important piece of the wellness puzzle. Research shows that good nutrition with the best dietitian in Mumbai has more of an impact on wellness in comparison to just physical activity.
A large part of an employee’s hours are spent at the workplace and in today’s competitive times, work is stressful. With unpredictable schedules, long working hours and exhaustive deadlines nutrition becomes all the more important in order to maintain good health most of the times and prevent absenteeism and thus increase productivity.
Corporate houses with the help of a wellness company can encourage healthy eating and improve the nutrition quotient of their employees. This can be done by incorporating nutrition camps, nutrition desks, lunchand learns, nutrition webinars, nutrition newsletters, nutrition consultations, cooking demonstrations and cafeteria management into their wellness programs. These activities will help raise the nutritional awareness of each employee, making him / her more inclined to adopt healthier practices. Moreover, the benefits are not restricted to the employee alone. It is well documented that employee well-being results in:
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Increased productivity: When an individual enhances his/hernutritional knowledge, consumes real foods and makes lifestyle modifications, it results in a happier and healthier employee. Such an employee performs better in the work environment even during stressful times.
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Lesser absenteeism: Employees who eat have a better immune system, leading to lowered rate of sickness and absenteeism
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Lower healthcare costs: The organization as a whole, benefits from lower healthcare costs when its workforce is fit and healthy
Providing healthy options to eat at lunch and during snack times within the office eliminates the difficult process of finding nutritious foods by the employees. The vending machines can also be made to provide healthy food options with no space for chips, chocolates and colas. Also, provision of refrigerators and microwaves can encourage people to get home cooked meals to office.
In conclusion, employers need to pay greater attention to creating a nutrition culture in their companies through employee health and wellness programs. It is only when the employees feel healthier, they can participate in the fitness activities and competitions held at the workplace. Asking employees to prepare for a marathon is worthless if the employee is not counselled on what he needs to eat to prepare the body for running. So, just as technical and behavioral skills are paramount to success in an organization, so is nutrition paramount to the health of each employee. It needs to be valued as a required pillar for the growth of a company.