Promoting good health does not include shaming post-its on vending machines filled with sugary and salty snacks; however, it does include stocking those machines with tasty, healthful options. Yes, those options might be a little more expensive, but what about subsidizing them in even a small way? You could argue that the money will come back in the form of fewer sick days, a more stably energized workforce. If you don’t win that argument, simply providing healthful options is a step forward.

Employee health and welfare has a huge impact on your bottom line, so why don’t more companies take a proactive stake? Well, some do. But the issue is not thornless. People don’t like to be told what to do and are protective of their personal freedoms. But providing and promoting outlets for people to be healthy really separates the companies people want to work for with the companies that are just a paycheck.

Running and cycling groups are very popular work/social activities that help firm up your office’s morale as well as calf muscles. There are often tax breaks given to companies that provide a bike room for those two-wheeled commuters—not only does this take cars out of the traffic snarls, but a worker who’s just biked to work typically arrives ready to get stuff done.

Most people want to be associated with healthy people. It makes them feel like they’re moving in the right direction, and by channeling this into the office you can send a positive charge through your workforce, and that word gets around. When people brag about their company to their friends it’s typically not about operational efficiency or that crazy good powerpoint presentation, it’s about how cool it is that they have free yoga classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.