Your wellbeing initiatives at the individual level will likely focus on raising awareness and/or building skills to manage this wellbeing area.
Raise awareness of Nutrition and Healthy Eating and identify lines of support
Strengthen your community by linking employees with local resources and even consider aligning with community organisations as part of a Corporate Social Responsibility policy.
If you are hiring an expert in nutrition, don’t forget that Ireland’s dieticians should be registered with CORU and the registered dietitian list can be found on the INDI website. In the UK, dietitians should be registered through the British Dietetic Association. Nutritionists, whether UK or Irish need to be registered with the Association for Nutrition (AfN).
Also see our Community Links to connect with an organisation that can help improve Healthy Eating in your workplace. You can subscribe to their newsletters to keep abreast of the latest news and events in this wellbeing space and they may be able to offer supports, services, or partnership in:
- Healthy Eating Workshops or lunchtime information sessions. These can be educational in nature to help employees understand the benefits of a healthy eating and proper hydration, and how poor dietary choices are a major risk factor for chronic disease. Food safety and appropriate nutrition through the life course (from pregnancy to childhood to old age) are also important components of raising awareness. Instead of once-off sessions, include a long-term plan for these sessions and remember to enable employees to avail of these sessions by making reasonable schedule or workload accommodations.
- Resources to promote a better understanding of the health benefits of healthy eating. These can include posters, infographics, videos, or write-ups in company newsletters etc.
- Participating in awareness days. Nutrition and Hydration Week is in mid-March, and you can honour the day in various ways while promoting your activities in a company newsletter or on your social media. Remember though that healthy eating awareness is important all year ‘round!
- Building camaraderie and teamwork. Incorporate social events such as 30-day Healthy Eating Challenges and encourage the sharing of information about recipes, and local co-ops or farmers markets. Also consider sponsoring a community garden or organising group volunteering to enhance health while strengthening cohesion at both workplace and community levels.
Appropriate level of support
It’s important to remember that every employee has different circumstances. Healthy eating will look differently across age groups, some employees may have families or elderly relatives to care for and some employees may have certain dietary restrictions due to genetic or health conditions.
It is important to provide comprehensive supports, signpost to appropriate resources or link with appropriate department(s) in the workplace (HR, Occupational Health Nurse, insurance-provider etc.) Also see our Community Links to connect with an organisation that can help improve healthy eating in your workplace that may be able to offer supports, services, or partnership in:
- Healthy Eating workshops or lunchtime sessions. These can be skills-building in nature, such as how to store and prepare food safely, tips to reduce food waste, how to shop for and prepare healthy and well-portioned meals for you or your family, and how to read food labels.Instead of once-off sessions, include a long-term plan for these sessions and remember to enable employees to avail of these sessions by making reasonable schedule or workload accommodations.
- Resources to promote ways for staff to prioritise healthy eating. These can include posters, infographics, videos, or write-ups in company newsletters etc. that include various healthy eating practical tips.
- Ensure inclusion. Don’t forget to make accommodations for remote-working employees and those who work off-site or travel as they will not be able to see on-site posters and are somewhat isolated from formal and informal conversations. It’s easy for these employees to feel disconnected so special considerations should be made.
- Integrating holistic wellbeing. See how you can integrate other wellbeing areas such as Mental Health, Smoking, and Alcohol and Drugs as stress and toxic substances can inhibit your digestive system and decrease the absorption of essential nutrients, while a healthy diet can improve your resistance to mental and physical illness and stress.