Why hydrated employees can work harder & for longer

Do you drink enough water each day? Answering this question honestly, out of hundreds of people recently surveyed, a staggering 20% admitted that they drank their last glass of water more than 7 days ago. It’s a shocking statistic and an area that’s covered comprehensively on good corporate wellness programs  in the UK – because it matters.

According to the NHS, you should drink at least 6-8 cups of hydrating fluid per day. That’s the minimum. However, due to the abundance of easily-accessible fizzy drinks, it’s easy to see why people fail to meet this healthy target. They’re tastier and more exciting on the tongue, but they don’t give the body enough of what it needs to perform. 

In the workplace, this could mean otherwise great employees are not reaching their full potential. As such, wellness programs that don’t teach the importance of proper hydration are selling you short, as it’s just as important as diet and exercise for vitality. 

Improved physical & mental performance 

Dehydration affects everyone, whether you’re a world-class athlete or Geoff from accounts. Research shows that lack of hydration significantly impacts not just physical performance but also mental capacity and memory. It forces the heart to work harder, directly compromising decision-making and reaction times. 

The more hydrated you become, the greater the impact. A 1-2% drop in hydration leaves as a person with impaired performance, whereas a 3-4% drop can lead to as much as a 25% loss in productivity. A stark difference, we think you’ll agree. Simply put, hydrated employees are able to work harder and for longer. 

How can you encourage hydration in the workplace?

As corporate wellness training illustrates, getting your staff to stay hydrated often involves a multi-faceted approach. By taking the following steps, you can create a culture in which hydration is very much a focus for your workforce.

• Introduce hydration stations – many people cite a lack of access to clean water as the reason for their dehydration. You can address this problem by providing hydration stations or water coolers in high-traffic areas so people find it easy to grab a glass as they pass by.

• Supply your team with reusable branded water bottles – who doesn’t love free work stuff, right? By providing branded water bottles to your staff, they’ll find it easier to get the drinks they need (for free). This option is often more cost-effective than hydration stations and essentially achieves the same goal. 

• Provide education in hydration – when providing BUA FIT corporate wellness services to our clients across London, we often find that our clients are amazed at what they find out at our nutritional workshops. Hydration is something we cover, dispelling myths on the subject and establishing the importance of drinking enough. 

By constantly reinforcing the need to hydrate with your workforce, the penny soon drops that drinking enough water makes you more energised and productive. Then, with everyone properly hydrated, there’s nothing unnecessarily holding back performance. Amazing that something so simple can have such an uplifting effect on people. 

BUAFIT – all-encompassing wellness programs  across London

Nutrition and hydration are just two of the wellness aspects that bespoke BUAFIT corporate wellness programs can cover. Also offering the full spectrum of online, in person and outdoor exercise classes on a contracted or pay-as-you-go basis, our team works with you to find the ideal solution for your company’s unique needs. 

From HIIT training at some of London’s most iconic outdoor spaces to online exercise classes as and when you need them, or have our team pop into your office, we have everything you need to make your workforce healthier and more engaged. To find out more about what we can do for you, why not have a chat with a member of our team today? 

That’s it again from us. Thanks for reading and we hope that we’ve provided some clarity on the effect good nutrition and hydration can have on your business. 

As always, stay fit, happy, and healthy.