Workers are suffering with poor energy – why?

Research, from energiseYou, shows the large majority of UK workers score just 30-40% on the key drivers of good health and energy.

We now live in a 24/7 world and these things are just some of key changes that are causing us to feel drained or low in energy: 

Nutrition

Our nutritional habits have changed over the last ten years, quite often for the worse. E.g. More processed food, less nutrients in our food

Lack of movement

We are now much more sedentary at work and at home

Approach to work

The way we work now. E.g. Dealing with everything as if it’s urgent, lots of task swapping

Pressure

The sheer pressure people are under

Technology

The excessive technology we are exposed to

Hyper-thinking syndrome

We can get so busy problem solving that thinking takes over our awareness, and we lose our sense of the here and now – this is a common problem

Work-life balance

In today’s 24/7 working world many of us find a blur between work and home, leaving us working too many evenings and weekends and quite often not taking a real break

Lack of sleep

With new technology new information is being delivered to us all the time. Our nervous system is quite often being over stimulated and this is negatively affecting our sleep

The modern world is having a negative impact on our energy and this is just going to get progressively worse unless we take action now. Take action today – to find out what you can do click here to contact one of the energiseYou team  

Healthy eating needs to be on every employer's agenda

What does good nutrition and healthy eating have to do with employers? Is it really our responsibility to educate staff about healthy eating?

There is a lot of debate about whose role it is to educate people about their health. But the best companies know that a healthy workforce means a healthy business.

According to our recent poll 100 per cent of HR professionals believe nutrition has an impact on the performance of their workforce.

With 100 per cent of the food that we eat affecting our health, energy and performance at work it makes good business sense for employers to support their staff to make healthy choices. 

The challenge for many employers is that they just don’t know where to start...

It is really quite simple. Essentially employers need to do two key things: 

1. Educate employees  
Give employees the tools to achieve a balanced diet. This means educating them so that they understand what a balanced diet is for them and how to achieve it - we work with lots of organisations to do this by delivering regular health related workshops, webinars and events.

2. Make sure healthy food is easy to access and not too expensive 
Where possible include healthy options for staff – if you have a canteen work with your caterers to include healthy options.  

If you have vending machines either remove them or ensure they are filled  with healthy snacks, ensure water is readily available and try to opt for healthy snacks, food and drink during meetings.

It is simple really. If employees are not eating a healthy diet and getting all the essential nutrients they need then they will end up feeling low in energy and will be unable to perform at their best. 

To find out more click here to listen to our recent webinar: How modern day nutrition is affecting your workforce

What are you doing to tackle sleep deprivation in your business?

Chronic sleep deprivation can do more than cause tiredness, it can have many negative effects. Employees with sleep problems may find it difficult to pay attention at work, struggle to remain alert and unable to concentrate.

But employees themselves aren’t the only ones suffering the consequences of sleepiness at work; it’s costing businesses money and, in some cases, may be putting the safety of others at risk.

Not only does a lack of sleep affect people’s health, which can cause an increase in sickness absence and have a negative impact on productivity, it can also be the cause of poor performance and injuries in the workplace.

Fact – sleep deprivation and poor quality sleep is not good for business. Clearly, it is a problem that needs to be addressed. Our research, of over 3,000 people finds the large majority of people score less than 50% on the drivers that help them achieve a good night’s sleep.

Although workers’ sleep habits are largely out of an employer’s control, businesses need to be aware of the effects of sleep deprivation and take a proactive approach to limit the impact of poor sleep, so that employees do their jobs more safely and efficiently.

There are companies, such as Google, that are taking action by providing sleep pods so employees who have to put in long hours sometimes or need to re-energise are allowed to take a power nap during their working day.

But it’s not just allocating enough time to sleep that determines how tired we feel or has an impact on performance, it’s also the ‘quality’ of sleep. And this is where education comes in. There are many factors that have an impact on the quality of sleep and these will depend on individual’s daily habits - only when we understand how to improve the quality of sleep can we improve it.
 

Whilst every workplace is different, there are a couple of simple steps that businesses can start with to limit the negative impact of sleep-deprivation:

1.     Help employees identify the problem

To help employees understand whether sleep is a problem area for them and understand how to start addressing this get them to complete our free online health and energy check. For more information about this check click here.

2.     Education

Forward thinking organisations, like eBay and TES Aviation, are taking a proactive approach and providing their staff with workshops where experts are on hand to offer sleep related advice. 

To mark National Sleep Awareness I am holding free 30-minute webinar focusing on the secret to great sleep in 2013.

This is being held on the 6 March 2013, at 12pm. Places are limited so you will need to register in advance – please click here for more information.

Within this webinar I will cover:

      - The benefits of great sleep
      - Why your habits are the key to your sleep
      - The top seven habits to avoid for great sleep
      - The top seven best habits for great sleep

3.     Culture of your organisation

Fatigue can affect more than the employee involved. It can create health and safety risks and have a negative impact on performance and productivity. It’s important to ensure you have the policies and procedures in place, within your organisation, so that employees are able to achieve a positive work-life balance and are able to take regular breaks throughout their working day to re-energise.

Smart computer use - it's up to employers to train their people

There is no doubt about it technology can really improve productivity. But for this to happen employees need to be using it smartly.

Our research, of over 2,000 employees, finds the large majority score just 55% on the key drivers of smart computer use. Given the amount of time we spend in front of our computer this is not good for business – not only is it putting employees at risk but also the business.

It’s up to us as employers to make sure our people understand how to stay healthy and energised at their computer.

Doing this properly will not only ensure we comply with the health & safety legislation but also reduce the risk of employees developing health related problems which is putting a strain on businesses, such as musculo-skeletal disorders and headaches.

Take action now - here are three simple steps to get you started:

1. Carry out workstation assessments – this is a legal requirement
A staggering 51% of employees surveyed are not set up with the correct seating and posture at their computer. By carrying out a workstation assessment you can make sure employees are following healthy workstation practices, and also ensure your company is complying with health and safety regulations. For more information click here.

2. Understand how to use computers smartly
I am holding a 30-minute live webinar to help you improve computer use in your organisation. Click here to register – places are limited.

This will help you ensure you comply with the legislation and identify ways to reduce the risk of employees developing musculo-skeletal disorders.

This is being held at 12pm, on the 19 February 2013. All attendees will receive a free factsheet on ‘how to stay healthy and energised at your computer’ to circulate to their employees.

3. Support employees
Make sure you have the policies and procedures in place within your organisation so that employees:
- Achieve the correct seated posture
- De-clutter - keep their workstation clutter free
- Are able to take regular breaks from their desk
- Drink water