Workplace wellness tips through laughter

Just about every company is seeking ways to improve the health of their employees. If you have yet to implement a wellness program, now is the time to do so. Wellness programs are a wonderful way to promote a healthier lifestyle and they do get employees to take notice of their lifestyle choices and make a change to improve their health. Even something as simple as reducing their intake of soda is something you can add to the workplace wellness program to get your employees to focus on having a healthier outlook on life.

One easy workplace wellness tip that is proven to reduce stress and boost morale is by laughing. Laughing is one of the best ways to bond with your employees and it can foster a team-working environment. This allows the employees to feel comfortable with their roles within the company and they are less likely to look for another job.

Bring up a joke or engage in a nice conversation when you notice your employees are starting to look haggard and burned out. By heading into their cubicle for a few minutes and laughing with them, you can re-energize them and help them to get back on track with their work.

Laughter in the workplace is not a distraction, which many other companies will claim it is. Laughter can help your staff and it really is the cheapest way to reduce stress. Stress reduction is vital to your employee's health as too much stress leads to heart disease, high blood pressure, and many other health concerns. Stress can also make an employee take time off work and they are less productive overall.

Here is a unique study done that show the impact of laughter:

• Dr William Fry at Stanford University conducted a laughing survey and the results concluded that laughter burns calories and it also leads to lower blood pressure levels. The other noticeable results of the study found that laughter leads to greater oxygenation of the blood and it helps to increase your energy levels.

This is great news for employers that are looking for a simple way to introduce wellness into the workplace and to find new ways to re-energize their employees and improve their productivity overall. Other studies are being done on laughter to see how it impacts health and many are finding results pertaining to a stronger immune system! For employers, this is a wonderful since stronger immunity means less sick days that are taken by your employees.

Humor is needed in both large and small businesses. When you have a company that is understaffed due to downsizing, it can really take it's toll on your employees morale. Humor is a great way to bolster their energy and help them to take pride in their work. It can make it easier for them to realize that their workload is heavier and their pay isn't any bigger for it. High expectations on your staff can be stressful to many of them but it is a great way to push them and humor is a great way to calm them so they don't end up having higher blood pressure due to the workload they carry.

While you don't want laughter impacting phone calls with customers, you do need to bring it out of your employees when you see it is needed. Take the time to walk around the office at least once per day and engage your employees. This will help them to see that you are personable and they can come to you if they need your help or advice and it's also a wonderful way to reduce the amount of stress they may be carrying around.