Small breaks from work can actually increase your overall productivity.

Spending long hours at the office staring at your computer could be an indication of extreme dedication and hard work. Well, that’s how most conventional bosses judge their subordinates. In reality, taking regular short breaks from your monotonous mental tasks actually increases your productivity. Even the most gifted employee needs to detach themselves from their work and workspace to recharge their batteries. According to recent surveys1, the human mind tends to lose focus after 50 minutes of intense mental exercise. So if taking breaks isn’t common at your workplace, it’s time you discuss the idea with your boss. To make it more planned and organized, you could schedule breaks through the following mechanisms:

• Marking them onto your calendar.
• Jotting them down on your to-do list.
• Smartphones contain several downloadable apps that could act as reminders.
• Find a break buddy and go for a quick tea or coffee. Socializing is by far one of the most effective mechanisms to refresh your brain.
• You could plan several quick one-minute mini-breaks throughout the day, such as refilling your water bottle or getting a tea.

Ergonomic Seating Arrangements – Respite From Back Pain And Sudden Medical Absence

A prevalent cause of employee medical leave requests is chronic back pain. Since most corporate employees tend to spend over eight hours a day sitting at their desk jobs, it is likely that a bad sitting posture will wreak havoc, and force you to opt for medical absence.

Ergonomic chairs are very useful in preventing back and shoulder pain, and provide adequate support to your spine while you work your way to glory. Your boss won’t be particularly pleased if team members are frequently absent because of repetitive back pain. So choosing an ergonomic seating arrangement actually helps in increasing employee productivity.

What features should an ergonomic chair usually have?

• A height-adjustable seat, to accommodate employees of all sizes.
• Enable you to sit so your thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Sufficient depth (space from the front of the chair to the back).
• Enough padding on the seat to ensure comfort when sitting for long periods of time.
• Adjustable lumbar support for both height and depth.
• The chair should provide overall back support.

Stressors Outside Work – Productivity Dampeners

Your boss could be a wonderful human being. Team satisfaction and comfort could be his or her top priority. However, there are chances that an employee could be severely stressed due to factors outside work. Excessive pressure and demands outside work, conflicting requirements at work and family issues could all be valid reasons. In the long run, such stress-related disorders could trigger psychological disorders, such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, tension, loss of professional productivity, aggression, etc. These could eventually trigger chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, a decreased immune system, and hypertension.

Common causes of stress outside work:

• Troubled marriages.
• Family arguments and fights.
• Divorces and legal battles.
• Loss of financial stability and increase of debt.
• Strained relationship with in-laws.
• Failed long-distance relationship.
• Duty towards ailing dependents, such as elderly relatives.

Your boss should be sympathetic enough to handle such situations as a “temporary phase” rather than branding an individual as an “underperformer”. He or she could even consider talking to the employee and jointly plan out an alternative solution that could help the employee perform better at work.

The Perfect Workload Balance – Prevent CHD (Coronary Heart Disease)

It takes time and substantial effort to building up a team of key employees, each excelling in certain skills. It is, therefore, important for a boss to ensure that the employees are healthy and motivated. Unfortunately, critical employees are the ones who are severely stressed out with mounting targets, stringent deadlines, astronomical expectations and long work hours.⁷

According to medical researchers², working long hours is directly linked with risk of CHD (coronary heart disease) and type 2 diabetes. Stress can also trigger excessive production of adrenaline³, which raises blood pressure.

So, the key to enhanced performance and productivity is to divide the work so that it doesn’t overburden the employee. One way of dividing the work is to allocate tasks among subordinates depending upon individual past performances. Certain employees work faster than others; while some employees are quick with analytical tasks others could be better at repetitive work. The idea is to keep the employees healthy and motivated.

Office Exercise And Fitness Balls: Keeping Your Employees Fit

A team can function seamlessly if each of the team members is fit and fresh. You could ask your boss to motivate the team to take fitness breaks rather than repeated coffee or snacks breaks. A brisk walk or simple stretching exercises could be very helpful in reducing mental fatigue. Standing burns more calories than sitting does. Your boss could also introduce the use of a firmly inflated fitness ball instead of a regular chair. The fitness ball not only improves your overall body balance but also tones and strengthens your core muscles.

Drinking Enough Water – Keep Hydrated

Remember, water is an absolutely indispensable element when it comes to smooth body functioning. Employees usually don’t consume sufficient water, especially on days when the workload is on the higher side. Since employees spend a substantial time of their day at work, the office arrangements should be such that employees have easy access to water and beverage dispensers, fresh fruit and fresh fruit juices. Proper water balance helps in preventing constipation and kidney stones. Also, it helps in maintaining correct body temperature.

Encourage An Email-Free Friday

The sedentary lifestyle at most corporate offices is finally taking a massive toll on our health. A brisk 15-minute walk could increase your productivity for the subsequent two hours. Many corporate organizations have instituted special email-free Fridays, wherein employees are encouraged to walk up to cubicles and talk to their colleagues face-to-face rather that shooting across a quick email. The practice may include a little walking around, or ‘time wastage’ as some bosses might feel, but the email-free Friday actually helps in increasing employee fitness.

Conclusion

In an era of cut-throat competition, it is essential for organizations to implement adequate measures to facilitate a healthy work environment to all employees. A healthy and motivated employee is more productive and useful to the company. Alternatively, employees should be aware of underlying health perils usually associated with a sedentary lifestyle. A healthy mind and body is the key to a successful professional career.

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