Dehydration – Common Workplace Challenges
Dealing with dehydration in the modern workplace is nothing if not a challenge. It is vital for managers to be able to deal with this effectively if the workplace is to function as efficiently as possible. In terms of ensuring that each employee has easy access to fresh hot and cool water, it is a wise idea to look at each issue and address them with a workable solution. By failing to meet these objectives you will be increasing the possibility of dehydrated employees and this is very bad for both morale and business. The bottom line is pretty straightforward – a hydrated workforce is a profitable and healthy workforce. SO without further ado, let's look at the 3 largest obstacles that affect hydration in the workplace and find a workable solution to improve overall wellbeing at work.
Challenge 1 – Waiting for the kettle to Boil
In a small to medium workplace it is rather common to find out of date appliances installed for supplying hot water. If you have 6 or more employees who are on a break and they all require a hot beverage, there will be a timing issue if the only access is via a standard kettle. This process could take at least 8 minutes and that isn't including the time it takes to drink the refreshment. Why not install an instant boiling water tap instead and see how productive this upgrade is as far as your workforce and their performance is concerned? Not only will your employees get instant boiling water at the touch of a button, you will be reducing your carbon footprint by avoiding all the “re-boils” that can take place!
Challenge 2 – Dealing with a slow unproductive workforce
This happens all too often across the UK because our employees are not drinking enough water throughout the day. This could be the case due to poor access to fresh drinking water in the workplace and can be remedied quite easily. Install an office water cooler in your breakout area as well as the instant boiling water solution mentioned in the previous paragraph. Also look into downloading the WaterCoolersDirect drink alarm app onto your employee's desktops to help them manage their hydration levels as studies have revealed that just 1% dehydration has been found to decrease worker productivity by 12%. Read more about how dehydration affects concentration and our moods here.
Challenge 3 – Kitchen is not centrally located
This is another common problem that can have a direct effect on your worker's productivity. Because the water source is some distance from their work station, they not only take longer to refill their water containers, they usually find a distraction that stops them from making the trip altogether. By installing several water coolers around the workplace, you will be affording your employees easier access to water which they need to stay focussed and full of energy.
Look out for any other challenges that may compromise your workforce's ability to stay refreshed throughout the working day and ensure that you find a solution before the issues escalate.