Need to know:
- Employees need 35 minutes of physical activity per day to improve mental health.
- Nutritional webinars can help guide employees to make good mood-boosting health choices.
- Employers need to find new ways of encouraging good mental health behaviours during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
It stands to reason that every employer wants a happy and healthy workforce. Not only does good mental health encourage employee attendance, it also has a positive impact on productivity.
Evidence suggests that there is a link between good physical health, diet and mental health. Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) published the Depression and anxiety research in November 2019, based on 8,000 patients suffering from depression, and found that, on average, just 35 minutes of exercise each day reduces the risk of depression and anxiety.
Additionally, the Mental Health Foundation’s Food for thought:Mental health and nutrition briefing report, published in 2017, found that deficiencies in vitamin B and C, folic acid, magnesium, selenium and zinc, all had a negative impact on mental health.
Mood-boosting physical activity
With this in mind, employers should encourage employees to take up some form of physical activity but it should not be a one-activity-suits-all approach. Not all employees want to go to the gym or join a running club and some need a little more persuasion than others. Employers that offer a wide variety of fitness-related benefits are more likely to reap the benefits of a physically active workforce.
Rachel Suff, senior employment relations adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), says: “Our physical and mental health are closely entwined but that relationship is also very individual. It’s good to involve employees and wellbeing champions in the development of any offering, so [employers] can target benefits where they are appreciated most. These can range from fitness and relaxation clubs like yoga, Pilates, mindfulness and recipe clubs, but also social wellbeing activities. Some employers offer health and wellbeing apps to support sleep and good mental health, which can be helpful. “
The benefits of good nutrition
It is never going to be easy for an employer to change its employees’ eating habits, however giving them access to information on nutrition and limiting temptation by making small changes to the menus in on-site canteens or switching biscuits for fruit and nuts in meeting rooms, are just two ways employers can unconsciously instill good habits in a workforce.
Geoff Mcdonald, co-founder at Minds@Work, says: “There need to be treats but the kind of foods [employers] are preparing for [their] employees, or what is available, should be nutritious. I would prefer to see employers really thinking about what they are offering employees.”
Working together
Social interaction with colleagues and feeling valued by an organisation can boost an employee’s confidence and help to counter any feelings of loneliness they may have.
Internal running or walking challenges are great examples, says Mcdonald: “Organisations should be actively encouraging employees to become active through some kind of incentives; an internal competition like walking challenges or a particular challenge to get out more.
“Taking part in something social and giving employees something to be proud of is an excellent way to boost mental health. Organisations can even use the concept of the challenge to raise money for charity. This can really create a feel-good factor.”
However, there may be concerns over activities that are too competitive, says Dr Chris Tomkins, head of wellbeing at Axa PPP Healthcare. He adds that virtual league tables are a great way at getting employees to be socially active instead. “Buying a device or setting up challenges is all that [is needed],” he explains. “[Employers] need a much more data-led approach, then we are giving each individual employee the opportunity to understand where they are in terms of their own health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, and let them prioritise what they feel they are able to do and where they would get the most benefit. Giving employees opportunities is great but I think that often individuals have their own circumstances and challenges that come first and you don’t want to cause any additional feelings of stress or anxiety.”
Educating and supporting employees
Educating employees so they are aware of the impact of nutrition and physical activity on mental health is a great place to start. Utilising mental health first aiders or hosting webinars on the benefit of nutrition can be the first step in laying the foundations of knowledge. However, line managers and senior employees need to be communicating the benefits too, ensuring that employees feel they can take up these opportunities if they are within working hours.
Nick McClelland, partner and growth leader at Mercer Marsh Benefits, says: “If [employers] have the culture to support these opportunities but management is causing stress, then mental health will still be affected.
“If they are not driven on a cultural level by leadership or management, fitness and nutrition benefits will not have the desired effects. The worst thing [an employer] can do is put on a nutrition webinar that employees are actively encouraged to attend by central HR, only for their manager to chastise them for going rather than prioritising something else within the business.”
The challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic
Due to the recent Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, employers have found themselves on uncertain ground and are finding new ways of boosting employees’ mental health through exercise and helping them adopt good nutritional behaviour.
“It’s really important that employers encourage employees to have a good self-care routine in the current climate including a healthy diet, sleep and relaxation activities,” explains Suff.
“There are many different online exercise routines on offer like yoga and Pilates but it’s up to the individual what works for them. Having a structure to the day and setting boundaries between work and down time are also key.”
McClelland adds: “The rise of yoga, dance classes and other forms of activity, and webinars focusing on how to create healthy, nutritional habits in the past weeks are the way forward.”