Providing the Right Foods Can Lead to a Healthier Workplace

When you have a number of people that work together in an office, they are all susceptible to any germs or illnesses that any employee may have. Workplace productivity is greatly affected by the number of people that miss work when they are sick. If people are truly sick, they should stay home, especially if they are contagious. The problem is made worse by the number of people that don’t stay home when they should, and then they spread their germs to others in the office and potentially make them sick as well.

Many people don’t realize there are a number of foods they can eat to help boost their immune system. There are a number of healthy snacks that people can munch on throughout the day that can be eaten discreetly from a desk or cubicle, that can also help prevent employees from catching infections and germs that their co-workers may have. Many employers provide snacks for their employees, and if they were to provide some healthier options, it could aid in keeping their employees’ immune systems healthy, as well as keep them on track for eating a healthier diet.

Some of the foods that are known to help boost the immune system are nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, certain vegetables such as carrots, peppers and celery, citrus fruits such as oranges, chicken soup, green tea, mushrooms, and plain yogurt with berries. Many of these foods can be eaten by themselves, or added to salads or smoothies. Employers could easily offer an assortment of these foods in the employee break room, where they could have access to them throughout the business day.

While employees need to do their part to keep themselves healthy during cold and flu season, anything the employer can do to help will not only help keep the employees healthy, but will also benefit the business. If an employee is sick, they may call in to work, which can leave a business short-staffed. An employee may come to work sick, thinking they are being helpful by still trying to do their job, but this can lead to them having to leave early, or spreading their germs to a co-worker and making them miss work as well.

Quite often, people will come to work sick and then wind up getting sent home early. It is easy enough for employers to track these trends, especially if they are using any type of online timecard software. This is a good way to track just how much of a negative impact sickness can have on the business.

While no one can completely prevent germs, there are a number of things that people can do to try and keep themselves healthy. Eating a diet full of immunity-boosting foods can go a long way towards keeping you and your employees healthy during cold and flu season.