Improve Your Wellbeing in the Workplace

An office environment has a major impact on how its employees function. Unfortunately, you can’t always control the entire office environment, however you can control your daily habits in order to maximize on your productivity and wellbeing.

It’s easy to slip into bad habits over time, especially at the office, but there are simple steps you can take to correct those bad habits quickly and efficiently. Check out the tips James Murphy from Warby Parker shared with us:

Sedentary Lifestyle

Sitting for long periods of time throughout your day can have short-term and long-term effects on your health. Whether you’re at your desk, in a meeting or at lunch, you’re most likely in the same position – sitting. However, your options are typically limited at work, unless your office has invested in standing desks, which means you need to get creative.

Sitting for too long can have negative effects on your posture, heart health and productivity, so it’s important to get up and move as much as possible throughout the day. If you find yourself getting lost in your work, try practicing the Pomodoro Technique or investing in a Fitbit. Both techniques will remind you to take a break and to get up and move, which will benefit your heart health and productivity.

As for your posture, it’s easy to allow common posture mistakes to creep into your daily routine, especially while sitting at a desk. Consider your desk setup when assessing your posture at work. Some factors that affect your posture are your chair height, monitor position and keyboard location. By simply adjusting your chair, lifting your monitor to eye level and positioning your keyboard within reach, you will be correcting your posture already.

Another way to keep yourself alert and to avoid poor posture habits is to practice desk stretches. Stretching throughout the day can refresh you, wake you up, promote productivity and allow you to take a break from your screen all in a few simple motions.

Digital Exposure

Blue light is a color on the visible light spectrum that can be seen by the human eye. If you work in an office environment, it’s probably safe to say that you’re on your computer for the majority of the day. Staring at digital screens for 8+ hours a day can put you at risk of excessive blue light exposure resulting in headaches, eye-strain, retina damage and fatigue. Unfortunately, there is no escaping your screen in most cases, as it’s required to complete day-to-day tasks.

In this case, you should take advantage of the other options available to you:

• Download the f.lux app, which is a computer program that can adjust the display’s color temperature according to your location and the time of day, offering relief for the eyes
• Buy a pair of blue-light-filtering glasses, which according to Warby Parker experts filter out more blue light than their standard polycarbonate or high-index lenses
• Limit screen time throughout the day and before bed to give your eyes a break and keep blue light from disturbing your sleep schedule
• Avoid using digital screens in the dark or turn down brightness to avoid shocking your eyes with blue light

Coworker Socialization

Interacting with coworkers can bring multiple benefits to your work environment. Not only does it make for a more efficient workforce, inspire collaboration and allow for openness and networking opportunities, it’s also an extremely healthy interaction that encourages a happier, more enjoyable work environment.

Interaction is often overlooked, but it’s an important element of your well-being in both your personal and professional life. Having a relationship with coworkers opens up the possibility of friendship and camaraderie at the workplace, which so many offices lack.

Offices that lack open communication tend to alienate staff, making them feel like they aren’t completely apart of the organization. This kind of environment creates a tense, awkward and ultimately unproductive atmosphere for employees. Therefore, you should attempt to create a direct line of communication with colleagues that is beneficial and promotes morale.

Staying conscious of these habits can help you better yourself at work. They can increase productivity, creativity and focus throughout your day, which will allow you to thrive week after week. Establishing healthy work life habits can carry over to your personal life as well, so practicing these simple tasks everyday can lead to your overall well-being, in and out of the office.