As some workers remain remote and others return to the workplace, what strategies are you using to keep an aging workforce healthy?

To help businesses keep their workforce healthy, we asked HR professionals and business leaders this question for their best advice. From holding walking meetings to providing employees with ergonomic tools, there are several strategies that may help your business keep its employees healthy whether they remain remote or return to the workplace.

Here are 9 strategies to keep your workforce healthy at home or in the workplace: 

• Organize Virtual Fitness
  
• Hold Walking Meetings
• Supply Health Guides
• Be Mindful of Physical Stressors
• Ship Out Wellness Gear
• Prioritize a Healthy Culture
• Provide Ergonomic Support
• Offer Health and Fitness Classes

Organize Virtual Fitness 

At present, we are operating from a remote environment. To ensure that everyone in our organization remains in good health, we organize biweekly hour-long yoga sessions before work. Yoga can help people stay healthy and can reduce any damage musculoskeletal injuries can cause to one's body. Besides this, we have contacts in local hospitals who are readily available to assist our employees when needed. In case of musculoskeletal injuries, our insurance policy provides financial support to our employees.

Caroline Lee, CocoSign

Hold Walking Meetings

If your office is in person, try to have meetings while walking around. This will get people moving and also get outside. This tactic is not for giant meetings, more like one-on-ones or small teams. Encouraging others to do the same will help create a healthier team and workforce overall.

Jason Wong, Doe Lashes

Supply Health Guides 

There are many strategies that can be provided to employees regarding their health and safety, such as a complete health guide. The guide can include tips such as: (1) Bend your knees while lifting heavy objects, not your back, (2) sit with your hips and knees level, (3) keep your feet flat on the floor while sitting, (4) get help from someone if the task is too much for you or your body and (5) modify repetitive actions and take breaks. All these guidelines will help aging workers to reduce the risk of injury.

Jill Sandy, Constant Delights

Be Mindful of Physical Stressors

One way that we try to ensure the safety and health of our employees on the production floor is by implementing foam pads for our employees to stand on while they are working. This takes some of the stress off of their musculoskeletal system and allows them to do their best work for longer hours. We also encourage employees to take frequent breaks and time to stretch and take care of their bodies

Craig Carter, Jack Mason

Ship Out Wellness Gear 

We try to send out gifts to our work-from-home employees. These include a hand and foot roller, yoga mat, and chair mat — little things that can improve the work-from-home lifestyle. They are small but go far for our team members. We always want our employees to know that we are thinking of them and their well-being.

Bari Medgaus, Stabili-Teeth

Prioritize a Healthy Culture

Working in the health and fitness industry requires us to be healthy and to work out often. Consistent exercise is vital. My team has their own workout regimens, but also working out together is a great idea for team-building. Sharing workouts and health tips are fantastic for training overall and even better for coworkers.

Guy Bar, Hyfit

Provide Ergonomic Support 

In response to problems related to the aging workforce in my company, our leaders have put an ergonomics training program in place. Since lots of muscular injuries are contracted from long periods of bad posture, they have made sure to cooperate with physiotherapists specializing in workplace ergonomics and give our employees some lessons, tips, and exercises on workplace ergonomics. They've also invested in ergonomic equipment for those needing the most support, such as ergonomic adjustable tables for unusually tall people as well as chairs for anyone else requesting them.

Daniel Torres, Zety

Offer Health and Fitness Classes

Offer health and fitness classes. There are programs that companies can implement to their benefits that provide fitness plans to employees. This can help ensure that team members are getting active in the way that they enjoy, saving themselves from potential injury. Encourage your teams to get active and outside, it benefits them but also you as the employer to have healthier employees.

Kiran Gollakota, Waltham Clinic