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Archive for category: Healthy Workplace

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Is Mindfulness the Key to A Healthier Workplace?

“Mindfulness” is a term we have heard a lot this year.  This old technique seems to be the new trend said to improve the health of our busy and stressed generation.  The term “mindfulness” is defined as “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.”

Sounds like a great way to heighten self-awareness, decrease stress and boost health personally.  But what might surprise you is that many are saying the practice of mindfulness is the next big thing in workplace wellness.  The following article from the Vancouver Sun looks at the participation of one of Canada’s largest companies in a pilot project that is introducing mindfulness practice into the workplace.  Check out the preliminary findings and see if this ancient technique might be right for you and your company.

The Vancouver Sun:  Old meets new for workplace wellness

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Stop Headaches Before They Start

Do you suffer from headaches at work?  Are you sitting in front of a computer monitor all day long?  This may be the cause.  Headaches can be brought on by many different factors such as diet, hydration, and stress, but are often due to visual strain.  Our helpful guide provides cost effective solutions for reducing visual strain and headaches at work.

visual strains and headaches

Download the full e-book for more cost effective ergonomic solutions.

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The Benefits of Biking to Work

Nicer weather has arrived!  It’s time to take advantage by getting outside and adding some more physical activity to your life.  Biking to work, if your commute is close enough, is a great way to increase physical activity, reduce the effects of sitting disease, save time, money, and help the environment.  Don’t have bike?  Don’t worry!  Bike share programs, like the City of Hamilton’s new Bike the Hammer program, are popping up in cities across Ontario.

Check out more about this healthy alternative to driving in this helpful infographic from Lifehack.com:

bike-to-work-week

 

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“Desk-ercise:” Keeping Active at Work

In a recent blog post, we introduced fitness programs at work and the role employers can play in promoting healthy, active lifestyles. As a follow up to this, we are offering some simple, fun and no to low cost ideas for employers and employees to try in an effort to increase daily physical activity during the work day.

·    Take the stairs: Even completing one flight of stairs is a great way to add some cardiovascular exercise into your day and stair climbing is also a great activity to promote strength in the lower limbs. Instead of taking the elevator, opt for the stairs any chance you get. For those that are ambitious, in addition to taking the stairs when you need to, walk or jog a few flights throughout your day or on your break.  Even if you take one flight then hop back on the elevator you have done something positive to get your blood flowing.

·    Walk and Talk Meetings: The concept is simple, but another easy and effective way to add movement to your day. Instead of sitting down for the duration of a meeting, allow employees to walk around the floor or building (outdoors is also a great option, weather permitting).

·    Regular Stretch Breaks: Sedentary lifestyles and long periods of static postures have been shown to have serious consequences for our health. Provide employees with diagrams and education on how to complete simple stretches from their desk or work station to help promote position changes, blood flow and flexibility. A good rule of thumb is to complete the stretches once every hour, or any time you begin to feel stiff.  Can you have a bell ring, have an email sent, or a message pop up to encourage employees to do a “7th inning stretch”?

·    At-Desk Cardio:  You don’t have to pay for cardio.  This can be as simple as jogging in place in front of your desk, lifting your knees high and walking on the spot, or doing jumping jacks. This can be broken up into 15-30 second intervals completed multiple times over the course of your day and can also be a fun way to relieve stress.

·    Wall-Sits for Strength: Find space along a wall or the wall of your cubicle and stand about a foot to a foot and a half away with your back facing the wall. Then lean against it and slide down until your knees are at about 90-degree angles. Hold this position as long as you can (a good rule of thumb is 20 to 60 seconds). Remember to keep your core contracted to help engage your abdominals and support your lower back.

·    Park Farther Away: It seems like common sense yet we have become a society of efficiency and effectiveness, and a prime parking spot that reduces the distance we have to walk is the preferred pick for most people. However, by parking further away, this is an easy way to increase the amount of steps you take in a day and increase your amount of overall body movement. Every step counts!

·    “Glutes” at your Desk: The “glutes” are a group of muscles in our buttocks region and are one of the strongest muscle groups in our body. You can discretely strengthen and tone your glutes simply through squeezing your glutes as hard as you can and holding for 10 seconds. Then fully relax and rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this exercise up to 10 times.

·    Walk it Out: Whether it be on your break, on your lunch, or a pre-determined “activity” break, fit light to brisk walks into your day. Whether it be laps around the office, outside in the parking lot, or around the block, walking helps to improve heart and lung fitness, build stronger bones, and maintain balance. Try walking with a co-worker or offer pre-established routes with information about distance and time so people can select different options to fit their schedules and needs.

·    Add Resistance Training to your “Desk-ercise”: Keep light hand weights in your desk drawer and complete different resistance exercises, such as bicep curls and shoulder presses, a few times per day (if you can’t keep weights in your desk, try using a water bottle). For some great tips on how to safely do these exercises, check out: http://greatist.com/fitness/deskercise-33-ways-exercise-work.

·    Bring out your Inner Jordan: Put up a basketball net behind the building, or in a non-traffic area on your property, supply a couple basketballs and encourage staff to go out and shoot hoops on breaks.  Or, for an indoor version hang a net on the back of your office door.

·    Be a Kid Again: Keep a stash of easy and fun equipment in the staff room that all staff can use like skipping ropes, Hula hoops and Frisbees. Can your lunch room accommodate a ping-pong table, indoor shuffle board, air-hockey?  Encourage staff play like kids inside or outside so that people can make use of these at any time over the course of the day.

·    Free Fitness Classes at Work: Organize “activity trial” days with different forms of exercise and physical activity and help from an instructor for staff to try. Many community groups or local fitness organizations are willing to do a promo or trial class for free in hopes of marketing and promoting their business. However, this can also be a fun and healthy way for staff to bond, manage stress and try new things, all while being active. If possible, offer information to help connect staff who enjoyed a particular class or activity to the corresponding organization or community group in hopes of also encouraging regular participation in physical activity outside of work.  Consider yoga, Tai Chi, Martial Arts, Self-Defense, Dance, or even Zumba as some fun options.

For more ways to keep healthy at work, check out our Healthy Workplace page.

Resources

http://www.ualberta.ca/~active/workplace/beforestart/benefits-bottom-line.html

http://greatist.com/fitness/deskercise-33-ways-exercise-work

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Healthy is a Lifestyle, Not Just a Behavior

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

In my work as an occupational therapist I am often asked to help people learn to manage or improve their behavior.  Things they want to stop or start doing, and how to get there, become the topic of our treatment sessions.  But my response in these situations is often the same and my approach is to encourage people to make “lifestyle” and not just “behavior” changes when it comes to improving function or health.  After all, if behavior (be·hav·ior) is: “the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others” and a lifestyle (life·style) is: “the way in which a person or group lives”, then there is a difference between acting and living.  My job is to coach the latter.

The difference in linguistics might seem small, but I would argue it is huge when actually implementing change.  I was reminded of this the other day when taking my daughter to the doctor.  Our doctor’s office is on the second floor.  She entered the building and moved towards the elevator.  I said “sorry Abs, we take the stairs”.  She made a disapproving face and I said “we would take the elevator if we needed to, but we don’t and the stairs align with our healthy lifestyle…race ya…”

I wanted her to know that our decisions need to align with our lifestyle and that deciding to take the stairs is not just a behavioral choice (“how should I act given my choices”)?  It is a way of living that will create the life we want as a family.

I still maintain that the best course I took in University was “Behavior Modification”.  Our project was to modify one of our own behaviors over the four months of the course.  As a dog owner, I chose the behavior of “dog walking” with the goal of making this a more regular routine.  Over the next four months I mapped out routes, increased walking distances and times, monitored my progress, and made a list of great dog walking locations in my community.  By the end of the four months I had adjusted my behavior from walking 20-30 minutes to two hours per day, spread over the morning and evening.  This is a routine I maintained for years – adjusting it as needed to accommodate my life changes along the way.  But my point is that in hindsight, the course did not allow me to modify my “behavior,” because in the end, I modified my “lifestyle” as this ultimately became the way I lived.

When taking that course I was told that it took four months to modify a behavior.  I have since heard that it takes three weeks to develop a new routine.  Perhaps the difference between these is that three weeks is a consistent period to make behavior change, but four months is needed for lifestyle adaptation.

Working with my clients I explain that lifestyle change is a commitment and like many things, requires daily practice.  We need time to reach the goals together, and change cannot and will not happen overnight because if it did, it would not be sustainable.

Spring is here, the sun is out, days are longer…a perfect time to ask yourself what lifestyle you want to have and to develop a plan to take you in that direction.  Don’t over think it.  Go big.  If “healthy” is on your mind, commit to a full out lifestyle change and make your daily decisions align with that.  Take the stairs, adjust your schedule, cut out the sugar, run the marathon, train for the Paralympics, but ultimately commit to a lifestyle and dedicate your energy towards living that way.

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‘Work’-ing Out: Incorporating Physical Activity into Your Workplace

Guest Blogger:  Samantha Langan, Occupational Therapist

Wellness in the workplace is about supporting healthy behaviours in the workplace to improve health outcomes. This includes emotional, cognitive and physical health. Now everyone knows that physical activity is essential to remaining in good health, yet a recent bulletin published by The Conference Board of Canada (2014) highlights that currently only 15% of Canadian adults are getting the recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Moreover, with the majority of working age adults spending at least 7-8 hours a day in sedentary jobs, this is leading to serious consequences for both our health and our economy.

Physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles increase the chance of developing chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. While this is concerning when considered on its own, it is essential to remember that these health conditions can also have a myriad of consequences that impact a person’s ability to perform at work. For employers, factors such as reduced productivity, presenteeism, absenteeism, increased health care or disability costs and staff turnover are all by-products of having an unhealthy, inactive workforce. In 2012, direct costs related to absenteeism alone was estimated to be $16.6 billion in Canada. That is a substantial loss for the Canadian economy. However, many businesses are beginning to recognize the role of promoting and incorporating physical activity into their work environment in order to support improved employee health and wellbeing, as well as to support improvements in their bottom line. If you are thinking of incorporating physical activity into your workplace, here are some things to consider before starting:

1.  Build support from the top down: Make the business case for increasing employee physical activity, and develop workplace policies regarding physical fitness in the workplace to support this. In order to be successful, there needs to be commitment from leadership as well as having this reflected in corporate policies and practices, including having the financial means to do so.

2.  Provide resources and education: Ask your employees what sorts of physical activities and programs they are interested in, and offer resources and education on a variety of programs so that everyone can find something that suits their wants, needs and interests. Consider offering newsletters, bulletins, or guides on upcoming community events or health fairs, as well as inviting guest speakers from your community regarding local fitness events and activities. Help your staff find a support group or “buddy” from work to encourage one another and be accountable for being active.

3.  Provide incentives: Not only does management need to be on board, but in order to make regular physical activity a part of your workplace, you also need your employees to be engaged. Some workplaces create a friendly competition for staff to participate in as a way to entice participation. Consider offering incentives to staff such as a bonus, additional time off, or reduced insurance premiums. Recognize those members of your team who are incorporating physical activity into their daily routine. Some businesses also partner with local fitness organizations to offer staff reduced rates at local fitness clubs as another incentive to get employees moving.

4.  Be flexible: Offer flexible working hours, such as being able to arrive a little later, or leave earlier in order to add physical activity to the day. Consider allowing staff to take an extra half hour break a couple times a week to walk or participate in the physical activity of their choice.

5.  Incorporate time to be active directly into the work day: Start each workday or shift with a stretching program, or map a 10 minute walking route inside or outside your workplace and encourage your staff to take a mid-morning or afternoon activity break. Depending on your workplace lay out, encourage the use of the stairs or walk-and-talk meetings, where staff walk for all or parts of a meeting. Depending on the needs of your organization, active breaks can be customized to fit what works for you.

Investing in the physical activity levels of your employees can be achieved through even small, affordable changes and can lead to improved employee health and wellness, enhanced corporate image, a positive workplace culture and gains in staff productivity, all while reducing presenteeism and absenteeism rates and a better bottom line.

For more great articles related to workplace wellness, please visit our Healthy Workplace page.

Resources

http://wraln.com/userContent/documents/6436_MovingAhead_Economic%20ImpactBR-EN.pdf

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/active_living.html

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/06/07/employee-wellness-program.aspx

http://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/implementation/topics/physical-activity.html

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/hwi/downloads/Steps2Wellness_BROCH14_508_Tag508.pdf

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Nurture The Mental Health of Your Employees

Nearly half of all Canadians experience some form of mental health concerns at work. Mental health issues are the number one cause of short term and long term disability leave.  So what can be done to create happier, healthier employees who are more productive and miss less time off work?

In Episode 5 of our Occupational Therapy Video (OT-V) Series we discuss how employers, employees, Occupational Therapists and medical teams can help employees overcome mental health stressors and other stressors at work.

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Safety 1st At Work

April 28th is recognized as The World Day for Safety and Health at Work. It is held as an annual international campaign that seeks to promote safe, healthy and decent work environments.  April 28th is also The National Day of Mourning in Canada, which commemorates people who have had an accident or injury in the course of their job. It is important that we are all involved in the initiative to create healthier and safer places of work – workplace safety should not be optional.

The following infographic from Health and Safety Ontario provides you with a snapshot of injuries in Ontario.

PIP-2013-Info-graphics-posterLR_Finalb

Consider these four steps to make sure that health and safety are paramount in your organization:

1.    Get on board: You don’t have to be an owner or boss to be concerned about safety. Everyone is responsible for contributing to a safe workplace.

2.    Get in the know: Understand the hazards and risks at your own workplace.

3.    Get involved: If you see a hazard on the job, speak up and offer your insight and possible solutions.

4.    Get more help: All workers have the right to refuse work if they have reason to believe it is dangerous. Speak to a supervisor if you have concerns, or seek guidance from the Ontario Health and Safety Contact Centre at 1-877-202-0008.

Or, if you are off work due to injury or illness and need help returning, would like solutions to help you work more comfortably, or are concerned about the impact of your job on your physical, cognitive or emotional health, consider contacting an occupational therapist. We are here to help.

For more information on creating a healthier and safer workplace, please visit our Healthy Workplace page.

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Administrative Stress Reduction

Today is the day to celebrate the backbone of every organization:  Administrative Professionals.  Working in an administrative role is often high stress due to the constant internal and external demands and challenges faced.  On Administrative Professionals day we focus on how to cope with work-related stress and encourage a stronger work-life balance for the employees no organization can live without.

CDC:  Administrative Professional Health and Safety Tips

Looking for more ways to promote workplace wellness?  Check out our Healthy Workplace page.