The Healthy Workplace: How to Improve the Well-Being of Your Employees---And Boost Your Company's Bottom Line - Paperback

by Leigh Stringer (Author)

Studies show that unhealthy work habits, like staring at computer screens and rushing through fast-food lunches, are taking their toll in the form of increased absenteeism, lost productivity, and higher insurance costs. But should companies intervene with these individual problems? And if so, how? The Healthy Workplace says yes! Companies that learn how to incorporate healthy habits and practices into the workday for their employees will see such an impressive ROI that they'll kick themselves for not starting these practices sooner. Packed with real-life examples and the latest research, this all-important resource reveals how to: - Create a healthier, more energizing environment- Reduce stress to enhance concentration- Inspire movement at work- Support better sleep- Heighten productivity without adding hours to the workday- And moreFilled with tips for immediate improvement and guidelines for building a long-term plan, The Healthy Workplace proves that a company cannot afford to miss out on the ROI of investing in their employees' well-being.

Front Jacket

As insurance costs continue to climb and employee health in general continues to decline, your company has probably instituted carrot-and-stick programs such as screening tests, smoking cessation programs, and wellness incentives. What if the problem isn't employees' lifestyles, though, but the workplace itself that's making them sick? The modern office demands that people spend most of their time hunching in front of screens, sitting in cubes smaller than prison cells. Windows are few; colors, bland; noise, constant; lighting, sour; and the temperature always too hot or too cold. Lunch, if there's time, is often take-out eaten alone at one's desk. Unsurprisingly, many employees are over-weight, stressed, and sleeping poorly, while companies suffer from increased absenteeism, lost productivity, and elevated insurance premiums. Work doesn't have to be so sad. Wellness programs don't have to be so futile. You can help your people become healthier, happier, and more engaged. "The Healthy Workplace" offers a new wellness model that targets the way we work today--the key to improving both employee well-being and business results. The modern workplace conflicts with basic human needs for movement, sleep, and good food--and simple programs can boost vitality and engagement across the ranks. By turns both sobering and inspiring, this book: - Explains how our evolution from hunter-gatherers to sitter-starers has undermined human health. - Offers innovative initiatives, such as envionments that improve creativity and "flow," alternative work schedules that support better sleep, exercise programs that get people moving during the workday, and nutrition programs that distribute healthy snacks and superfoods. - Makes a strong business case for wellness programs. For example, research shows that medical costs fall by $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs, and absenteeism costs fall by $2.73 for every dollar spent--a combined return on investment of 6 to 1! - Highlights programs working at Google, Facebook, Apple, Next Jump, Under Armour, Aetna, The Motley Fool, Johnson & Johnson, and other companies. Based on case studies, original surveys, and hundreds of interviews, "The Healthy Workplace" helps business leaders rethink how work is done and promote healthier, more productive work lives. When employees thrive, the company thrives. Leigh Stringer is senior workplace expert for EYP Architecture & Engineering and is researching employee health and productivity in conjunction with the Harvard School of Public Health, the Center for Active Design, and other leading organizations.

Back Jacket

Leigh is clearly on the cutting edge of the revolution that is occurring between workplace health and business performance. The Healthy Workplace is research based, immensely practical, and filled with genuine insights." -- Jim Loehr, co-founder of the Human Performance Institute and renowned performance psychologist "We've spent so much time trying to make people happier at work, neglecting how to make them healthier. Stringer combines the best thinking from physiology, psychology, nutrition, and sleep science into practical advice. This is a great read on a critically important topic--a must-have for anyone concerned with waistlines and bottom lines." -- Adam Grant, Wharton professor and "New York Times" bestselling author of "ORIGINALS" and "GIVE AND TAKE" "Leigh Stringer has written the definitive guide for 21st century workplaces, and every smart CEO, manager, and worker should have a well-thumbed copy of "The Healthy Workplace" on their desks to use as a ready reference. With fascinating research, backed by hard-hitting statistics, Stringer lays out a compelling case that, far from a luxury, creating healthy workers and workplaces is imperative for fueling productivity, creativity, and a better quality of work and life for everyone."-- Brigid Schulte, author of the "New York Times" bestseller "Overwhelmed" and director of The Better Life Lab at New America "The Healthy Workplace" disrupts the business-as-usual approach to wellness, and offers simple yet highly effective initiatives that break down the barriers to good health. By getting people to move away from their screens, de-stress, eat better, and live healthier lives on the job, you can achieve stunning results. Packed with examples of innovative programs and the latest research, this persuasive and practical book opens your eyes to the negative effect that many workplace cultures have on well-being and the enormity of the health crisis. It offers a solid business case for making changes and low-cost, high-impact solutions for building healthier, more energizing environments.

Author Biography

LEIGH STRINGER is Senior Workplace Expert for EYP Architecture & Engineering and is researching employee health and productivity in conjunction with the Harvard School of Public Health, the Center for Active Design, and other leading organizations.