Staying fit and healthy at work - mentally, physically and emotionally is incredibly important, especially as we return to work in the New Year, reenergised, refreshed and ready for the next challenge.
As a business leader, I take the responsibility of keeping good levels of staff wellbeing seriously. The benefits of doing so are clear and simple - increased productivity, creativity and willingness to collaborate.
Nurturing wellbeing is good for an organisation's long-term value - it leads to lower attrition, absenteeism, attracts new recruits and has a positive impact on overall company growth and goals and GDP.
Health and wellbeing can be boosted in many ways, use these tricks to motivate your team this year and see a big difference:
1) Reward to reinforce
Incentivising your team to take you up on perks might sound odd, but there's no denying you mean business if you enhance the benefits.
If you offer free or discounted gym membership, for example, its unlikely regular users will take any considerable sick leave, so why not reward the most active with an extra day's holiday?
Or if you're happy to fund further education to gain some value skills within the team, you could offer paid-for development days and flexible working to support ambitions.
2) Respect rest
Working more is often wrongly associated with working harder, but if you don't ensure your team take time out to unwind, you risk burnout and resentment, so put a stop to overtime, lunches at desks and reluctant holiday-goers.
You'll need to lead by example, and show your team that, whether they're off for two weeks in the sun or a sabbatical, things won't fall apart while they're gone, but equally that there's a place for them to come back to.
3) Engage and involve
You've gathered your team together for a reason - each person has brought talent, knowledge and unique insights to the table - so make sure you take advantage of this and ask them for their opinion on company decisions, or ideas that could help propel the business forward.
The more entrepreneurial and empowered your team feels, the more pride they'll take in their own work as well as the direction of the firm.
Remember to share successes too - if you win a big new contract or are up for an award, make sure recognition goes beyond your senior management team. At the end of the day, managers are only as good as the people they lead.
4) Champion community action
Volunteering is a wonderful thing for an office to embrace - when people are passionate for causes outside of work, it nurtures a sense of collaboration and dedication, so if you don't already have a policy for paid-for volunteer leave, make sure you introduce one and push people to use it.
If people are stumped for ideas, why not shape team outings around getting involved in the local community? Organising activities such as fun runs and planting trees is great way of adding a new dynamic to office life.
It's all too easy sometimes to get caught up in growth, deliverables and client demands, but we have to remember to take a step back and think about the human cost. It's a strength to enable people to put their wellbeing first, and you'll ultimately be rewarded with a more stable, stronger business if you recognise and support the individuals providing the backbone of your operations.
Debra Charles is CEO & Founder at smartcard technology firm, Novacroft.