9 Top tips for keeping your employees healthy

Spending over eight hours in a chair in front of a computer, five days a week can take an enormous toll on your body.

Recent studies indicate that healthy Australian employees are likely to be almost three times more productive than their unhealthy colleagues. Happy employees are not only more productive employees, but they also tend to work better in teams, and often display greater loyalty to the company and to its goals.

See below some top tips from our team that can help you and employees stay healthy, well and more productive at work:

1. Keep hydrated- drinking 6-8 glasses of H20 daily is recommended. A common cause of dehydration in the modern workplace is air conditioning and can cause symptoms such as tiredness, loss of concentration and headaches. Keep hydrated for better productivity.

2. Keep moving-every hour or so, get up from your desk and move around. Exercise is key to health and wellbeing. Walking during lunchtime is a great idea, not only are you burning calories, but you're de-stressing and refreshing at the same time.

3. Healthy lunch- eat a healthy lunch at work and practice portion control so you aren't consuming too many calories and then sitting in a chair all afternoon. It may not be a case that you are eating unhealthy food, it's just that you are eating too much.

4. Frequent breaks

We always want to finish our work so we can get out of the office on time. However, this does not mean that you should sit at your work station for hours at a stretch and not allow yourself a break. Get up and walk to speak with a colleague instead of emailing or go and walk to fill up your water bottle etc.

5. Snack wisely- reach for fruit instead of a biscuit when you feel the 3pm slump coming on.

6.Hygiene conscious

Being hygienic goes a long way in keeping you healthy. You can take the necessary steps at work too. Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer at your desk. When at work, it may not always be possible to step away from your desk every time you want to wash your hands. But with your hand sanitizer close, you can deal with situations that involve you coughing or sneezing and stay healthy and germ-free.

7. Good posture

Maintaining good posture all day requires conscious effort. Most employees, who use computers, stare into their screen for hours and slowly get drawn into it. This means they stretch their neck forward, which puts pressure on the neck and the spine. This can be avoided with the help of certain desk exercises. The most popular one entails chin retractions - or making a fake double chin -- to support the neck and upper back.

8. Vaccinate-against flu and if you are travelling, seek advice and appropriate vaccination for a more enjoyable and well- deserved break.

9. Stress-less- stress can impair your immune system, increasing the risk of illness, minimising it is essential. If you are feeling overly stressed, anxious or overwhelmed please seek advice from your GP on how to effectively manage stress levels.

Mariners Medical believes that health, happiness, and productivity at work are directly related, and are inviting local businesses in the community to cultivate all three areas through the Mariners Medical Corporate Wellness Program. Mariners Medical is helping to keep employees healthy, engaged and productive.

Services available to employees under the program:

• Priority appointment booking

• Pre-Employment Medicals (including urine drug screen)

• Workers Compensation & rehabilitation

• Flu and travel vaccinations

• Audiology

• Spirometry

• ECG

• Pathology

• Discounted Allied Health services

• Onsite educational sessions

• Health resources