Raising Awareness

Promote physical activity at your workplace by displaying posters, e-messages, or pamphlets about physical activity.

• Post maps of walking routes around the workplace (15 minutes walking routes for breaks, 30 to 50 minute walking routes for lunch hours)(inside and outside workplace).
• Participate in community events that promote a physical activity such as walk/runs, big bike, golf tournaments, community walking challenges. Ask your company to sponsor employee participants or to match employee contributions.
• Offer incentives for distance parking and for employees who walk or bicycle to work.
• Encourage physical activity breaks during long meetings and conferences.

Education/Skill Building

• Bring in a Personal Trainer to talk about starting a physical activity routine.
• Encourage staff to use the stairs instead of the elevator. Put up posters to remind people to take the stairs.
• Plan lunchtime walks. Challenge another workplace to rack up the kilometres
• Plan a no email/telephone day to encourage staff to get up from their desks and walk to talk to colleagues.
• Hold walking meetings when meeting with a small number of people.
• Participate in 10,000 Steps Pedometer Lending Program (available at Algoma Public Health).

Environmental Supports to Encourage Physical Activity at Work

• Provide safe bike racks for employees in well-lit section of the property.
• Provide onsite showers and locker rooms.
• Provide fitness facilities or exercise room to hold yoga, aerobic classes etc.
• Start walking clubs, biking clubs, in-line skaters club.
• Look for exercise equipment i.e. free weights, stationary bikes that could be donated for employee use.
• Try casual days to make it easier for staff to be active while at work.

Policy Development

Workplace policies help make healthy choices the easy one. A physical activity policy can make a positive statement about how the employer values in employee's health and well-being as well show practical ways of how the workplace can move towards a healthier workplace in which they work.

Policies could include:

• Providing flexible work arrangements
• Providing corporate subsidies for discounted memberships
• Reduce prolonged sitting such as breaks for long meetings or encourage walking meetings
• Promotion of active commuting work

Raising Awareness

Promote healthy eating and encourage employees to make healthy choices.

Examples:

• Distribute nutrition e-messages to staff.
• Display posters that promote healthy eating.

Healthy Eating Assessment for the Workplace Environment

Education/Skill Building

Provide learning opportunities that empower employees to take action to improve their eating behaviours.

Examples:

• Provide healthy eating presentations facilitated by a public health dietitian.
• Challenge staff to eat more vegetables and fruit using Paint Your Plate! Create a Masterpiece: Workplace Vegetables and Fruit Action Guide. (French Version).

Online Tools:

• EatRight Ontario
• EATracker (Compare your food intake and physical activity to the current recommendations)
• Recipe Analyzer (Analyze the nutritional content of your favorite recipes)
• MyMenuPlanner (Create a personalized menu plan)

Environmental Support

Education alone is not enough. A supportive environment is essential to help employees make healthy food decisions.

A Healthy Workplace Nutrition Environment exists when a workplace consistently promotes healthy eating through words AND actions. It means that a workplace goes beyond education employees about healthy eating and uses a comprehensive approach to create a truly supportive environment.

Example:

• Include healthier food and beverage choices in the cafeteria, vending machines and at business meetings and functions.
  • Nine essential elements of a Healthy Workplace Environment
  • Call to Action: Creating a Healthy Workplace Nutrition Environment

Policy Development

Create specific guidelines to ensure that healthy, safe food choices are readily available in the workplace. 

Example:

• Create nutrition guidelines or a healthy eating policy for meetings, events and/or vending machines.

Public Health Dietitians are available to provide information and support to workplaces in assessing workplace nutrition environments, providing education opportunities and resources and develop healthy eating guidelines and policies. Call Algoma Public Health, Nutrition Services, at 705-942-4646.

Raising Awareness

• Education campaigns against stigma
• Provide information that link to community agencies dealing with mental illness, drug and alcohol misuse
• Advertise E.A.P services for the workplace

Education/Skill Building

• Increase knowledge on resilience to stress by learning and practicing coping strategies suitable for everyday use
• Teach relaxation techniques
• Provide training in Mental Health First Aid (Algoma Family Services)
• Encourage and strengthen social support in the workplace 

Environmental Support

• Encouraging a culture of enterprise, participation, equity and fairness, and challenging stigma and discrimination in the workplace
• Include employees in decision making and problem solving processes
• Improve communication and feedback

Policy Development

• Develop and implement strong policies on mental health and well being at work