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Archive for the ‘Workplace Wellness’ Category

Wellness at Work Ideas that Won’t Break the Bank

Posted in Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , on January 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

From time to time I come across a blog that is well written, has great info and coves areas of wellness that pertain to my readers. Recently I came across the blog, Life-Sized Business written by Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin.  I liked one of her posts so much I want to share it with you (with her permission and proper credit to her blog of course!) Enjoy!

Small Business Strategies: Starting a workplace wellness program might be easier than you think

By Elizabeth Baskin

What can you do in the new year to improve employee morale and productivity without spending a ton of money?
Easy answer: start some level of wellness program in your office. If you’ve ever considered doing something like that, this might be the perfect time.

Wellness programs allow you to give employees something they find meaningful without handing out big pay raises.
Many small companies froze salary increases last year. In others, employees watched people in their company lose their jobs, and were understandably meek about pushing for their own salary reviews. But don’t think that means they’re not thinking about what they give the company for what they get. A workplace wellness program can be a very good way to let employees know you value their contributions.

Of course, it’s also the beginning of a new year.
The perfect time for fresh starts, healthy new habits and lifestyle improvements. Your employees are probably already thinking about what they can do in 2010 to be healthier. A wellness program can help support them in their individual goals. It’s also a powerful way to bring new energy into the workplace.

How do you do it?
You don’t have to build a company gym or pay for an on-site spa chef (although you could). Think in terms of providing flexibility (time) or resources (access). You can pick one element of wellness, like fitness or stress management or healthy eating and focus your program around that area. Or you can put together a small smorgasbord of wellness offerings. Here are a few examples:

• Allow employees extra time for lunch two or three days a week so they can fit in a walk or a run.
At Tribe, we tell employees they can put up to three hours a week on their time sheets for exercise during the workday. We’ve found that whenever someone manages to fit in a workout or  yoga class during the day, they’re likely to come back to the office with a good idea or solution for something they’re working on. If nothing else, their energy level is higher that when they left.

• Use one of those empty offices for a meditation room.
Move the desk out and put a small couch or a comfortable armchair in there instead. Or just put out a few yoga mats or some big floor pillows.  Add a few meditation CDs and a CD player, and you’re good to go. If employees feel comfortable spending 20 minutes meditating in the middle of the day, alone or with a coworker, that can go a long way towards reducing stress levels.

• Put a bowl of fresh fruit in the break room, and stock it weekly.
When employees hit that pre-lunch or mid-afternoon slump, being able to skip the vending machine and grab an apple or banana instead can be a highly appreciated perk. Supporting wellness in the office can actually come down to some very simple (and inexpensive) changes.

The biggest thing employees are looking for in a wellness program is a way for the workplace to support them in living a good life.
As a business owner, you do that by providing meaningful work and fair compensation. But lately, many companies have been asking employees to work harder without the hope of a big, fat salary increase. Especially in this economic environment, one of the best things you can do for your employees is to provide the flexibility and resources for them to take care of their own health.

Read Elizabeth’s Live Sized Business blog here.

Workplace Massage
Of course, an easy and cost-effective way to show your staff you care about their health and well being AND give your company a productivity boast, is to offer workplace massage. Working Well Massage provides massage to corporate clients in and around the Chicago area. Contact us today for a customer proposal for your workplace.

Who is Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin and Why Should We Listen to Her?

Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin is the CEO and Creative Director of Tribe, Inc., a branding company working with national and global clients like UPS, Chick-fil-A and Coca-Cola Enterprises.

She also developed the Starter Cards deck titled “Start Your Own Company,” which takes the gigantic task of launching a business and breaks it down into 52 manageable steps, one step per card. (You can read a recent news story on the cards here.)

She is the author of “Hell Yes! Two Little Words for a Simpler, Happier, Life,” and of a book on women entrepreneurs titled “How to Run Your Business Like a Girl: Successful Strategies from Entrepreneurial Women Who Made It Happen.”

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Get Up and Move Your Body Now to Prevent Disease!

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , on January 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The Walkstation
Image by Scoobyfoo via Flickr

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

It’s all over the web today…too much seat time can hurt your heart, increase your risk for cancer, obesity and diabetes, according to a study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Assn. Doctors from the Karolinska Institute and the Swedish School of Sport and Health conducted a study that shows that sitting too long, not just lack of exercise, can contribute to heart disease and other life threatening diseases.

Journalist, Michelle Fay Cortez, writes in “Sitting Is a Silent Killer, Swedish Medics Warn Couch Potatoes” from Bloomberg.com, “The more time people spend in a completely sedentary state, independent of the exercise they get at other times, the higher their risk of becoming obese, and developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer, the doctors wrote in an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The dangers are greater still for people who do little exercise as it is, the authors wrote.

While many people think of being sedentary as lacking in exercise, this is more accurately described as the time when the body’s muscles get no activity, the doctors said. They cited an Australian study showing that each extra hour women spent watching television boosted their risk of developing a group of heart complications known as metabolic syndrome by 26 percent, regardless of what exercise they took.”

Read entire article at Bloomberg here.

Unfortunately, most people I know, especially “knowledge workers” have jobs that require us to sit for hours behind a computer.  So, what do you do? Tell your boss, hey, my job is killing me? Not likely. However, many workplaces are responding to such studies with Walk at Work programs. Or allowing staff to go to yoga or other workout classes at lunch. Or providing yoga classes or personal training sessions at work. Some companies provide employees with desks that move up and down to allow for standing. Some very progressive companies use Walk Stations for employees to walk while they work on their computers. Other companies provide regular massage to help increase circulation to your muscles. Massage therapists also provide stretches for sedentary employees.

How to Add More Movement to Your Work Day

You can incorporate more movement and less sitting into your workday yourself with these simple ideas:

1. Take the stairs when you can versus an elevator.

2. Walk up or down a few flights of stairs for a 5-minute break every few hours.

3. Do jumping jacks at your desk or, if that embarrasses you, in the restroom.

4. Do squats at your desk. Simply stand up, then barely sit, then stand, then barely sit. Repeat 5 or 10 times.

5. Do side bends at your desk. Do 3 sets on each side and hold each “bend” for 15 seconds.

6. Stand up, take a few deep breathes, then reach for the ceiling, inhale, exhale and sit down again.

7. Stand up and do arm circles.

8. Walk around the office-take a few laps!

9. Stand at your desk when you are on the phone. March in place for extra points!

10. Drink water at your desk in a sport bottle to keep the water cool and prevent spills. If you drink about 20 ounces every few hours your bladder will create a natural timer for you to get up and take a break!

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Surviving Loss…With the Help of a Paperback Friend

Posted in Health and Wellness, Stress Management, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , on January 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Certified Wellness Coach, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer

How to Survive the Loss of a Love

In the past few weeks a few of my friends have lost loved ones to cancer and heart disease. Loss is never easy and grief take s a lot out of us emotionally and energywise. Losing a life partner, a parent or anyone close to us is like having major surgery ourselves. The funeral and wake may come and go quickly, but the grieving process takes much longer. And the stress of carrying on daily life while grieving can be stressful.

Years a go while I was grieving the loss of a loved one, a friend gave me a helpful little book and said to me “This book helped me get through my mother’s death. I am giving it to you. All I ask is that you pass it on to someone in need someday if it helps you.”  To date I have give away about 15 copies of the book to friends that have faced loss. And I am recommending it to you now if you ever lose a love one or are dealing with loss now. (Loss can also be a divorce or loss of a job, anything  that makes you feel grief.)

The book is called “How to Survive The Loss Of A Love,” by Peter McWilliams, Harold H. Bloomfield and Melba Colgrove.

It is available from Amazon here.

Reading one book won’t eliminate all grief and pain, but this book is easy to read, full of helpful tips to help you work through the grieving process and it’s only about $8.00 on Amazon. I hope it helps you as much as it’s helped me and others I know!

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Avoid Injuries from Repetitive Motions at Work

Posted in Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , on January 11, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist,  Certified Wellness Coach and ACSM Personal Trainer

G2 Fitness Mouse Stretch Program

Do you work long hours at your computer? Performing the same tasks over and over can lead to muscle tension and injury. Michelle S. Jones, an eHow Contributing Writer, advises you to “Stand up and walk around if your job involves a lot of sitting. For every 20 minutes of work, take a two-minute break, which can be as simple as standing up and stretching,” in her article, Simple Steps to Take to Avoid Workplace Ergonomic Injuries,

OK, that’s pretty simple advice: Get up and stretch as often as possible. But how should you stretch? And what about your stretches for your hands? Now G2Fitness has a Mouse-Pad Stretch program that can help you out.

For the low price of $9.95, the Mouse Pad Stretch Program gives you:

  • 9 Simple and Effective Stretches
  • Offered in Black with Blue Coloring
  • Full Video instruction at g2fit.com
  • ECO Friendly (100% Recyclable)
  • Physician Certified Stretches
  • Bacteria Resistant
  • Washable Non-slip Surface
  • Long-lasting and Durable
  • Revolutionary Patented Material
  • Dimensions : 20cm x 25cm x 4mm
  • Material: 100% TPE

What’s the Story Behind G2 Fitness?

According to the G2 Fitness website, G2 Fitness CEO and founder Gasper Guarrasi has always enjoyed a fast-paced, competitive lifestyle. In his professional life, Mr. Guarrasi’s persistent focus, drive, and creativity were essential to his achievements as president of a $100 million company. On the playing field, Mr. Guarrasi was also known as a driven competitor, running up to 30 miles a week.

Towards the end of 2006, Gasper set a goal to play on the PGA tour and began the journey to play great golf. Through intensive training with top instructors and fitness experts, he discovered that the key element his game was missing was flexibility. He began a regime of specifically designed stretches which he performed every day and found that these not only improved his game but also made him feel better on a day—to—day basis. Today, his dedication to practicing and specifically stretching helped Mr. Guarrasi to become a scratch golfer with zero handicap who has had the honor of playing in qualifying events for the U.S. Open Championship and the Northern Trust Open.

While Mr. Guarrasi continues his love for the game of golf, the true passion that he takes from his experiences is his belief in the benefits of stretching. G2 Fitness combines Mr. Guarrasi’s sports and business acumen with his desire to help others live a healthier, fit life. The company is inspired to create powerful results for people in both health and sports.

Check out Celebrity Diet and Exercise Examiner, Fitz Koehler’s related post here.

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Make Your Fitness Routine More Productive!

Posted in Fitness, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , on January 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Licensed Massage Therapist

Digitlal Miniposters from Produtive Fitness

I write a lot about increasing activity and fitness in and outside the workplace.  Companies can provide employees with education about fitness to help improve employee health. One easy way to give employees great information about stretching and weight training is to put up posters from Productive Fitness. At home, Productive Fitness provides mini versions of these posters via digital download.

What’s So Great About Productive Fitness?

Productive Fitness Products Inc. is the #1 supplier of fitness books to exercise equipment stores in North America. Mike Jespersen started Productive Fitness Products Inc. with the publication of The Great Dumbbell Handbook. The idea of publishing a book specific to dumbbells came when Mike was working at a local fitness equipment store in Vancouver, B.C. Many of the customers purchasing dumbbells also wanted a reference guide to performing the exercises. The book was an instant success and has now sold over 300,000 copies. This success has been expanded upon with The Great Body Ball Handbook now having sold over 300,000 copies, and The Great Handbook series having sales of over 1.2 million.

Since Productive Fitness Products’ incorporation in 1998, it has continued to publish books, expanding on its series of “Great Books” which offer instruction on specific exercise topics such as the Body Ball, Stretch Tubing, and multi-station gyms.
The “Great Books” are designed as quick-reference handbooks which allow readers to instantly access exercise descriptions for a particular body part. Each exercise description has a start and finish photo with clear, concise, step-by-step exercise descriptions.

• See a sample of Productive Fitness videos on You Tube here.

Who Writes and Reviews Productive Fitness Products?

• Andre Noël Potvin is an internationally accredited author, fitness educator and medical exercise specialist with 24 years of leadership experience and clinical experience. Owner and operator of both a medical fitness clinic and school for fitness professionals, Andre is frequently invited to lecture at international public and professional conferences.
Read more about Andre here.
• James Talo has an extensive background in individual and team sports. His endeavors have ranged from track and field to lacrosse and the martial art, aikido. However, it wasn’t until Jim suffered a spinal injury in 1993 where his appreciation for the human body and how it should optimally move and function became apparent. This injury shifted his attention to the method of kettlebell lifting and the teachings of some of the world’s best coaches. He began his search for knowledge on this niche sport and obtained his first kettlebell certification in 2004.Jim’s coaching philosophy is one he shares with his students, clients and colleagues: “My purpose is to create an awareness… to educate coaches and their athletes on the merits of kettlebell lifting both as a training protocol and as a sport…I am here to serve, and to instruct technique that is safe and highly effective.”

Read more about Jim here.

Fitness Posters from Productive Fitness

• Large Size Posters for the workplace

Large Stretching Poster from Productive Fitness

• Digital Download Posters (8.5 x 11) for home workouts.

Disital Posters from Productive Fitness

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Where to Buy Indoor Air Cleaning Plants in Chicago

Posted in Health and Wellness, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 3, 2010| 1 Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Dracaena Janet Craig. Image from http://www.dracaena.com

It’s a new year and time to clean out the old and bring in the new: air, that is. Think you may want to use houseplants to clean the air of your home or office from formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide?  Those of you that read our posts on houseplants that clean air from NASA and The University of Georgia may now be ready to get your own indoor air cleaning plants. But where are the best places to get houseplants? Some say Home Depot and Lowes, but Home Depot ships their indoor plants –not so great in winter cold!  Lowes only has tiny tabletop Aerogardens available from their website.

Lowes does have a great article for selecting indoor plants here. Check out their chart categorizing indoor plants by level of light they need. For example, Chinese Evergreen, Dracaena and Philodendrums require low light. Golden Pathos requires medium indirect light. Aloe and Cactus plants require bright direct sunlight.

To help you find other indoor plant sources, I compiled a list of Chicago plant stores that carry the house plants that NASA and Georgia studies have found to be the best air cleaners. Find the store that’s closest to you and buy your own plants today!

Grand Street Gardens

2200 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 829-8200
Fall 2009 Hours • M-F 9 AM-7PM • Sat & Sun 9 AM-6PM

Grand Street Gardens carries the following indoor plants for air cleaning:

  • African Violet
  • Chinese Evergreen
  • Dracaena Janet Craig
  • Dracaena Marginata
  • Ferns
  • Jade
  • Hoya
  • Philodendron
  • Pothos
  • Spider plant

    • Gethesmane

    5739 N Clark St, Chicago, IL

    (773) 878-5915
    Winter Hours • Monday – Sunday, 9 AM – 6 PM • Free  Parking

    All of the following 14 plants can be found in the Gethsemane Greenhouse and have been identified by NASA as most effective in cleaning the air;

  • English Ivy
  • Spider Plant
  • Golden Pothos
  • Chinese Evergreen
  • Bamboo or Reed Palm
  • Snake Plant
  • Heartleaf Philodendron
  • Selloum Philodendron
  • Elephant Ear Philodendron
  • Red Edged Dracaena
  • Cornstalk Dracaena
  • Janet Craig Dracaena
  • Warneck Dracaena
  • Weeping Fig

    • Adam and Son Gardens

    1057 N California Ave, (between Cortez St & Thomas St), Chicago, IL 60622
    (773) 235-0991
    Hours: Mon-Sun., 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

    Old Town Gardens

    1555 N Wells St (between Burton Pl & North Ave), Chicago, IL 60610
    (312) 266-6300

    www.oldtowngardenschicago.com

    Sprout Home

    745 N Damen Avenue, (between Chicago Ave & Lee Pl), Chicago, IL 60622
    (312) 226-5950

    store.sprouthome.com/

    Farmers Market Garden Center

    4110 N Elston Ave (between Belle Plaine Ave & Ridgeway Ave), Chicago, IL 60618
    (773) 539-1200

    www.gardenchicago.com

    Belmont Flower Market

    2558 N Clark St (between Deming Pl & Wrightwood Ave), Chicago, IL 60614
    (773) 529-8756
    Hours: Mon-Sat., 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Sun., 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

    Jayson Home and Garden

    1885 N Clybourn Ave (between Kenmore Ave & Wisconsin St), Chicago, IL 60614
    (773) 248-8180
    www.jaysonhomeandgarden.com

    Marguerite Garden

    5059 N Clark St (between Carmen Ave & Winnemac Ave), Chicago, IL 60640
    (773) 506-6295

    www.margueritegardens.com

    Where To Buy Houseplants as Gifts

    ChicagoHouseplants.com

    Check out The Chicago Gardener’s blog for tips about gardening and caring for your indoor and outdoor plants.

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    A New Year and a Fresh Start

    Posted in Health and Wellness, Stress Management, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , on January 1, 2010| 1 Comment »

    Sydney. Fireworks Newyear 2006. Opera House an...
    Image via Wikipedia

    By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

    Mainstream media is full of celebrity resolutions, local Chicagoan resolutions and predictions for the year ahead. I am not big on resolutions. I am more of a goal setter. Resolutions are promises or wishes that may be tough to deliver on. Goals are actionable, time delineated, realistic, measurable and positive! Wellness Coaching is also big on goal setting. In fact, goal setting, goal review and goal refining is a big part of what makes wellness coaching so successful.

    When you set a resolution or “swear off” booze, or sugary foods or some other lifestyle problem, you set yourself up for failure and the shame and guilt that can accompany that failure. When you set a goal, you have a chance to think through specifics, what you are trying to accomplish, and what tools and support you will need to reach those goals. The process of goal setting is just as important as the actual goal you set.

    For example, a new years resolution might be “I will quit smoking for the New Year!”

    • This resolution doesn’t give you a start date, any tools or a structured support system for quitting smoking.

    A goal may be “I make a list of smoking cessation programs by January 8th.”

    • This goal gives you a specific deadline: June 8th. By June 8th you will know whether you completed the goal or not.

    • Making a list of smoking cessation programs gets you mentally ready to quit without imposing too many obligations on you. Making a list is an action. When you complete it, you can feel good that you have accomplished a step towards your ultimate goal of quitting smoking.

    Goal Review

    Goals can be and should be reviewed frequently. In Wellness Coaching session, we review goals about once per week. If a goal is not met, then we look at changing the goal instead of beating you up about not completing it.

    For example, if you goal is to eat 5 vegetables each day and you end up not eating any vegetables, we would likely look at the goal and decide if this is a reasonable goal for you. Perhaps adding 1 serving of fruit each day may be a more realistic and achievable goal on the way towards your ultimate aim of eating 5 veggie servings a day. Then maybe the next goal may be eating veggie soup once a day. The goals you set would be tweaked based on your past experiences of what works best for you and what’s realistic for your to achieve within the time constraints we set up.

    This New Year I wish everyone good health, happiness and stress free days. I will write more about goal setting in the coming months. But my goal for this blog is to write a post about aspects of wellness at least four times each week.

    Happy New Year!

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    Who Can Build a Healthier Chicago?

    Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 31, 2009| 2 Comments »

    By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

    Chicago is famous for many things. Chicago is “the Windy City,” The Second City,” the home of the Cubs, the White Sox and da Bears. Chicago also has the dubious honor of being one of the top 20 most “fat” cities in the U.S. But there are those of us that want to change that last claim to fame for Chicago.

    One group that is making serous headway in tackling high blood pressure, obesity and activity levels of Chicagoans is Building a Healther Chicago.

    Building a Healthier Chicago

    Building a Healthier Chicago (BHC) is a collaborative of local and national stakeholders working to strengthen efforts to promote the health of Chicago residents and employees.

    Through collaboration BHC promotes and tracks the adoption of selected programs, practices, policies, and supportive environments throughout the worksites, schools, health care organizations, faith based organizations, parks and neighborhoods of Chicago. BHC works with community organizations, academics, health care and government to improve the health of all citizens.

    To make a significant impact on the health of all Chicagoans, BHC works to support its stakeholders broadly in:

    • Increasing physical activity levels
    • Improving healthy eating
    • Prevention, detection and control of high blood pressure

    Why focus on physical activity, nutrition, and blood pressure?

    Physical inactivity and obesity are at epidemic proportions in the U.S., resulting in an increased prevalence of many chronic diseases. Meanwhile, health care expenditures associated with physical inactivity and obesity continue to rise.

    Becoming a Stakeholder in Building a Healthier Chicago

    Working Well Massage is a stakeholder in Building a Healthier Chicago. If your firm is involved in promoting wellness or has a workplace wellness program you are proud of, consider joining BHC as a stakeholder!

    Building a Healthier Workplace Resources

    American Cancer Society Workplace Solutions

    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    Center for Value-Based Health Management

    Federal Occupational Health

    Health Enhancement Research Organization

    Health Resources and Services Administration

    National Business Group on Health

    National Wellness Institute

    Partnership for Prevention

    Start! For HR Professionals (American Heart Association)

    WELCOA: Wellness Council of America

    WellSteps

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    Smells Great, Tastes Great, but Less Acidic–Coffee

    Posted in Health and Wellness, Stress Management, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , , , on December 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »

    A photo of a cup of coffee.
    Image via Wikipedia

    By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

    As a young woman, I drank a lot of coffee. A LOT of coffee. Until a close friend told me one day she couldn’t get a word in edgewise, I was talking so much. I was so hyped up on caffeine it impacted my ability to listen!

    I cut down on my caffeine intake, but still drank a cup a day for quite a while. Then the acidity of most coffee started to bother my stomach. I found Starbucks to be the next best thing to rocket fuel, with the acid content to match the power of the caffeine. I had to cut coffee out altogether.

    Now I only drink coffee periodically and there is only one brand I can tolerate: Folger’s Simply Smooth or Simply Smooth Decaf (if I want to spare my friends and family my auctioneer impression).

    According to Folger’s, they roast the coffee beans to reduce certain irritants that may affect a sensitive stomach.  The caffeinated version coffee comes in  34.5 oz, 23 oz, 11.5 ounce tubs and is available in a decaffeinated variety in 23 oz, 11.5 ounce tubs.

    While I like the coffee, I wish Folger’s marketing team had come up with a better name. Simply Smooth sounds like a laxative, and that’s really what most stronger coffees are, not this gentler version of Folger’s coffee! To me, this coffee would be better named  “Gentle Java.”  But, as you know, I don’t work for Folger’s nor their PR team, so I can only drink their coffee and laugh at the name!

    The larger tub version of Simply Smooth is tough to find in stores. Target carries it, but lately I’ve only been able to find the small 11.5 ounce tubs. So, if you want to buy Simply Smooth in the larger size tubs, go to good old Amazon.com and get it shipped right to your door. Click on link here to get your own Folger’s Gentle Java (aka ahem, Simply Smooth) coffee.

    Folgers Simply Smooth®

    Folger's Simply Smooth

    Folgers Simply Smooth® Decaffeinated

    Folger's Simply Smooth Decafe Coffee

    For another perspective, read Clever Shopper’s blogppost,”Folgers Simply Smooth Coffee: Finally a Coffee Gentle on the Stomach!!” here.

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    Get Fit With Fido! Take Your Pup To Work

    Posted in Health and Wellness, Stress Management, Workplace Wellness, tagged , , , , on December 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »

    Dogs at Work

    By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage

    Dogs have long been used as Guide Dogs and Service Dogs for people with vision impairment and other disabilities. Seniors also find that dogs and other animals known as Emotional Support Dogs can provide companionship, non-judgmental positive regard, affection, and a focus in life. Now, savvy employers are seeing the benefits of allowing employees to bring their dogs to work. In the article below from Corporate Wellness Advisor.com, Gayle Christopher, Ph.D., explains why.

    Take Your Dog to Work?

    December 11, 2009
    Written by: Gayle Christopher, Ph.D.,

    Looking for a no-cost employee pick-me up? Proponents say this perk increases worker cohesion, lowers stress, and that there are few downsides. Dog-friendly workplaces, where well-behaved pets are welcomed to join their owners in the daily grind, are found all over the country.

    The majority of companies that allow dogs are small start-up companies that realize the need for a flexible work environment or large high tech firms that allow dogs in order to capture the interest of a prospective employee or to retain their current employees. One survey found that 20% of employers have pet-friendly policies.

    Of course, not all pets are well-behaved enough to be welcomed into the work environment. Some are hyper, too vocal, or aggressive. Pets should have decent manners, be house-trained and well-groomed. Owners must responsibly evaluate their own ability to perform when Fido is present and their pet’s shortcomings in human and animal relations. Pet-friendly workplaces have found that most employees will police themselves because they understand that such policies are a privilege and not a right. But setting up rules and enforcement procedures are a must.

    Facts from the American Humane Association

    • Staff morale and worker productivity are increased by bringing pets to work
    • Increased camaraderie among employees when pets are in the workplace
    • Happier employees result in enhanced job performance
    • Increase in sales reported by store owners who take their dogs to work
    • Dogs can serve as a crime deterrent

    Read entire article from Corporate Wellness Advisor.com here

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