When some bosses hear that keeping their staff hydrated will influence their bottom line positively, they laugh and think that this statement is just a ploy by water companies to sell bottled drinking water or office water coolers, but that is not so.
Good hydration is, simply put, fundamental to a healthy, happy and productive business. Ockham’s Razor posits that the simplest of two competing theories is to be preferred and this relates to the health and welfare of staff at work too; effective solution is simplest. The best thing you can do to ensure better energy levels, higher production levels, less time off on sick days, and reducing stress levels in the office is to ensure that your personnel are well-hydrated at work.
Water is the fluid that lubricates an efficient, energetic body and mind. When one does not drink sufficient water throughout the day, lethargy and fatigue set in, which translate into a lull in performance ability and regular work tasks becoming more challenging. Energy levels go out of the window and that famous “after-lunch dip†takes its toll.
Drinking water regularly will also help with one’s weight, especially if taken with meals and snacks, as water is required for good digestion and it also helps your body to make the best use of the minerals, vitamins, and nutrients in the food that one consumes, which means more energy for work. Drinking water about an hour before a meal will also make one feel full and therefore eat less, and maintaining a healthy bodyweight is good for overall health.
Keeping one’s body well-hydrated keeps it in balance, which means that it is calmer as well as being under less physiological stress and therefore able to respond more readily to mental stress at work. Being less stressed means a better and happier work-environment, and staff will also sleep better, which means that they will perform better at work.
So, the next time your boss says that getting a water cooler is a waste of money or costs too much, show him this article.
