Workplace Fitness: How healthy is your work environment?

Rated right up there with pay on most surveys, employees cite a healthy work environment as one of their top priorities when it comes to their career. Rightly so, it seems, considering that most of us spend the majority of our waking hours of life at a job of some kind. And whether you're interested in overall health and fitness, or merely in being as productive as possible when you're working, an unhealthy and stressful situation is going to do nothing but bad things for your health, your fitness, and your job performance.

So, what makes for a healthy work environment anyway? There's more to it than offering fitness memberships in the benefits package and low-fat snack items in the vending machine. It's about culture, and the whole picture coming together to make work as pleasant and as stress-free an experience as possible.

According to this article, there are six key things to look for when evaluating whether a workplace is truly a healthy and positive environment. First off, you should hear a lot of laughter. Laughter is a sign of comfort, and comfort is healthy. Second, you and your coworkers should share ideas freely. Again this relates to comfort -- employees should feel safe, respected, and listened to.

You should know what is expected of you, from job description to dress code to behavior, and you should be able to "work simply" without feeling that frivolous or redundant demands are placed on your time. You should also have an organized and comfortable physical environment, and you and your company should have a strong connection with others and with the community.

These criteria are somewhat subjective, but if your company doesn't meet all of them, don't quit yet! Many of these items can be introduced and nurtured, and will grow over time. Encourage and promote actions that support positive energy, respectful interactions, and simplified processes. And for goodness sake, get yourself a comfy chair!