By Angela Nuñez

While providing a workplace gym is a great idea, the reality may not match up to expectations. Many workplaces encourage employees to take advantage of the on-site gym during lunch breaks and some employees do. Others, though, may not have the time to workout in the middle of a workday. If, for example, the lunch break is only an hour, that really doesn’t leave much time to eat, work out, shower, and get back to the desk. If employers want their employees to use on-site gyms, they may need to consider being more flexible with breaks. No one wants to sit through an afternoon of work all stinky and sweaty, and if an employee doesn’t have time to clean up after a workout, he or she most likely will skip the gym entirely.

Some workplaces also encourage employees to use the gym before or after work. Most employees, though, already feel that too much time is spent away from home and their families, so they’re not eager to come to work early or stay late in order to hit the gym. A more practical benefit than an on-site gym may be a gym membership elsewhere. That way when employees go to the gym, they don’t have to associate the workout with the workplace. For employees who do manage to somehow squeeze in a workout during their lunch break or who don’t mind coming in early or staying late to go to the gym, the benefit of having one on-site is convenient. The problem is that it is not convenient enough for most employees, many of which are already pressed for time. Gym memberships elsewhere may be a better solution for encouraging employees to stay fit.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

Distracted eating causes an increased consumption of calories as opposed to focusing on one’s food. With Americans spending an average of eight hours a day looking at screens, it’s a good idea to take a break from your computer, phone, and any other devices during lunch. Focusing on eating does your waistline and your eyes a favor. Distracted eaters consume more and feel less satisfied after eating than non-distracted eaters. 

Consider grabbing lunch with a friend, too. Studies suggest that people who regularly socialize with others display better cognitive function. Eating with people improves health and happiness in many ways. It’s also a great idea to get in some physical activity during your lunch break, as sitting too much is very bad for your health. Bottom line: don’t waste your lunch break on your computer or phone. Spend it with friends, enjoying your food, and moving around.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

New mothers in other countries, from Pakistan to Canada, receive anywhere from 12 to 50 weeks of paid maternity leave. New mothers in the United States receive zero. Smart organizations provide some paid maternity leave even though it isn’t required because they know that benefits such as paid maternity leave instill loyalty in employees and that any investments made in benefits will be well worth it in the long run. But not all new mothers are lucky enough to work for these on-the-ball organizations. Many other developed nations also provide paid paternity leave; unsurprisingly, the U.S. doesn’t provide that either.

Why is the U.S. so behind the times when it comes to employee benefits? This country’s values have been shaped around working hard in order to achieve “success,” and somewhere along the line, “working hard” was equated with having no work/life balance. Other developed countries also provide more vacation time for their workers than the U.S. does because they value health, wellness, and family time. U.S. workers tend to be overworked, stressed out, and lacking in the social life department. But how successful are we if we are giving up time with family and friends and butchering our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing?

A cultural shift must occur if we are to change our lifestyles in order to be healthier and to spend more time with those whom we care about. Younger generations of workers will demand this shift and usher it in themselves if necessary, because we’ve witnessed that sometimes, no matter how hard you work, you still lose it all and for nothing but irretrievable time that could’ve been spent with family and friends. The Internet has connected us to the rest of the world, and we see that there are better ways to live, that the “American way” is not the only nor the best way in every circumstance. Working hard is certainly important, but so is having a life outside of work and putting time and energy into that life.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

The presence of strong social networks in a person’s life has a positive impact on his or her health, aiding the healing process and even boosting one’s chance of survival. A recent study in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment has found that those patients with large, supportive social networks are better able to manage pain and other symptoms of the disease. More support was also linked with better emotional quality of life, according to the researchers.

The study also found that the benefits of tangible support from others, such as doing household chores, providing food, or aiding with transportation to the doctor, were strongest among women with late-stage breast cancer. Those without such tangible support were nearly three times more likely to have a lower-than-average quality of life. Tangible support such as that mentioned above has also been shown to help prevent postpartum depression, which is why some European countries provide this care free of charge for families.

One’s emotional and physical wellbeing are connected, so if a person suffering through an illness has friends and family to help buoy his or her spirits, the patient is likely to handle the illness and treatment better. It’s likely that strong social networks are also somewhat preventative when it comes to health and wellbeing, helping stave off maladies such as depression, insomnia, and fatigue.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

Different studies tout different results when it comes to workplace wellness program Return on Investment (ROI). Some studies claim as high as a 7-to-1 ROI while others refute that wellness programs have a positive ROI at all. While it’s important for agencies to make data driven decisions, it’s also important to keep in mind that ROI can be tricky, as intangibles are difficult to quantify and putting an absolute value on health is not easy. Agencies must make decisions that keep them out of the red, of course, and a healthy workforce is an essential part of any successful organization.

Much of the responsibility of health falls directly on the employee’s shoulders, but workplaces can and should take steps to empower employees to make healthy choices at work, too. Workplaces should offer healthy eating options, walking meetings, standing desks, breaks for meditation or napping, and anything else within their scope that helps employees maintain their health and wellbeing. Generating a positive ROI is important, but don’t let focusing on numbers give your agency tunnel vision.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

Some jerk in front of you on the way to work slammed on his brakes, causing you to spill coffee on your work clothes. New construction began, and now you’re late to work. The boss lectures you on timeliness when you arrive. Unexpected tasks get piled onto your desk throughout the day. Having a rough day, week, month, or year? Try these tips to boost your mood:

• Say no.
Wednesday’s post discusses the power of saying no. If you’re already overwhelmed with work, don’t agree to take on more. An alternative to saying no is asking for help. It’s okay to admit you can’t do it all, and admitting that will take some weight off your shoulders.

• Practice kindness.
Be kind to yourself and others. Do good deeds, even if they go unnoticed. It’s not recognition you’re looking for, but the knowledge that you’re striving to be your best self. So go on, put that stray grocery cart in its place, pick up that wrapper on the ground, or just smile at a stranger.

• Try something new.
Sure, you may feel silly and even a little embarrassed, but try something new. Extra points if you try a new sport or physical activity. Stick with it and you’ll find joy in the improvement you see in yourself. Practicing yoga just once or twice a week, for example, can improve your strength, flexibility, and range of motion in just a few weeks.

• Apologize.
Is there something you’re feeling guilty about? Apologize for it. Carrying around that weight is a stressor that’ll bring you down until you release it.

Bad days are inevitable, but there are things you can do to get through them with grace. Your attitude has a lot to do with just how much negative situations and events affect you.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

Yahoo takes a step in the right direction with its new policy on parental leave, discussed in Monday’s blog post, and while organizations bear a great chunk of the responsibility of empowering employees to lead balanced lives, employees must also voice their needs and stick to them. Saying yes is easy because doing so makes others happy, but saying no is sometimes necessary even if it means not pleasing others. If you say yes all the time, you may find yourself overwhelmed and stressed to the max. Too much stress can lead to exhaustion and weaken the body’s immune system.

According to studies, sixty-nine percent of employees say that work is a significant source of stress. Fifty-one percent of employees say they are less productive at work as a result of stress, and fifty-two percent of employees say that they have considered or made a decision about their career such as looking for a new job, declining a promotion, or leaving a job based on workplace stress. Job stress is estimated to cost the U.S. more than $300 billion a year in absenteeism, turnover, diminished productivity and medical, legal and insurance costs. Saying no may be especially tough for people who are highly empathetic and sensitive, as they don’t want to displease others for fear of the emotional repercussions. In the long run, though, learning to say no is important to maintaining one’s overall health and wellbeing. Turning down projects or tasks that you don’t have time for enables you to perform better quality work. When saying no, it can be helpful to explain why you’re saying no in order to give the requestor a chance to understand where you’re coming from. Saying no may be difficult at first, but once you realize how much time and energy you’re able to devote to your priority tasks without feeling burned out, you’ll be grateful you learned how to say no.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

The U.S. trails behind numerous developed countries in work policies meant to enable employees to lead balanced, healthy lives. One area in which the nation needs to catch up is parental leave after the birth of a child. We lag behind in paid leave for both mothers and fathers. Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, who has caught so much flack for abolishing Yahoo’s telework policy, is taking a step in the right direction with Yahoo’s new paternity leave policy.

Mayer has announced that Yahoo is doubling paid maternity leave, increasing it from eight to sixteen weeks, and granting eight weeks of paid leave to fathers. Sweden provides working parents with an entitlement of sixteen months paid leave per child at eighty percent pay, the cost being shared between the employer and the state. To encourage greater paternal involvement in child-rearing, two months out of the sixteen are reserved for the “minority” parent, in practice usually the father, and some Swedish political parties on the left argue for legislation to oblige families to divide the sixteen months equally between both parents. So while the U.S. still has a long way to go if it hopes to ever give families the same benefits as some European countries, Mayer’s decision to increase parental leave certainly steers Yahoo onto the right course.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

Greatness is a worthy goal towards which to strive, but the journey there should not be so taxing that you feel as if you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. What may be more important to aim for is goodness. The perfectionists among us work towards perfection because of a drive to be the best we can be, and that’s a productive attitude to have in the workplace, but perfectionists often judge themselves (and others) quite harshly. To constantly judge and compare yourself takes a toll on the psyche and keeps you from being able to fully celebrate and appreciate successes. The problem with perfectionism is that it can act as a blinder if things turn out well without turning out exactly as planned. Perfectionism can keep you from feeling like your work is ever good enough.

If you identify as a perfectionist, try, just for a day, to let go of the idea of being “perfect” and focus instead on simply doing your best and accepting whatever results from it. Do your best without comparing yourself to others. Let go of judgment. Comparing yourself to others accomplishes nothing except lowering your self-esteem or bringing others down, even if it’s only in your head. Admiring someone else’s traits and strengths is one thing, but judging someone when you don’t have the whole picture sets you up for nothing good. Instead of obsessing over perfection, focus on being kind to yourself and others today.

 

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By Angela Nuñez

Positive thinking is a wonderful thing that can help you accomplish your goals and achieve an overall happier state of mind. While positive thinking is a useful tool, it’s not a magic wand and it’s important to keep this in mind when things aren’t going as planned despite all your positive thinking. Here are some tips for using positive thinking in a productive way:

• Believe in your goals, but know that they may change.
Don’t let your positive thinking become too rigid. The only constant is change and it’s okay for your goals to change, too. Don’t let fierce attachment to a goal make you miss out on a better opportunity.

• Believe in your best, but know that your best won’t always be good enough.
It’s just life that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, things don’t work out. When this happens, accept that whatever doors didn’t open for you were meant to remain closed and that better opportunities await you.

• Believe in your strength to overcome adversity.
No matter how strongly you may believe obstacles won’t get in your way, they will. It’s better to accept that difficulties will appear on your path than to try to ignore them. Facing adversity only makes you stronger, so believe in your ability to deal with it.

• Know that you won’t always feel happy.
All the positive thinking in the world won’t shield you from loss, heartache, sadness, disappointment, anger, injustice, or frustration. Accept that you’ll feel all kinds of emotions and believe in your ability to deal with each as it comes and then let it go. Do not become attached to any single emotion, but flow with your emotions as a river flows ever downstream.

When you realize that positive thinking is a tool but not a fix-all, this is when you can use it best. Life is full of diversity and adversity, and that’s what makes it so beautiful and precious.

 

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