The well-being of managers and employees: part 1 - body

Welcome to the training on the well-being of the leader and employees

I'm going to introduce you to the three key points you need to master in order for your career path to be filled with health, well-being and fulfillment

These points, which we are going to detail together, may seem like a bit of a joke at first glance. It's about the body, the mind, and the environment.

But for each of these elements, I'm going to give you easily applicable tips that will improve your well-being, that of your colleagues, and that boost your company's bottom line.

Let's start with the body.

For many years, we were told that we needed to have good working postures, that we had to bend down properly to grab things, etc. etc. etc. But what has been significantly overlooked is the key to movement

For example, in these images, we see different working postures, the one sitting cross-legged on her bed, the one sprawled on her sofa, the one sitting on the floor with the sofa as a backrest, the one who works standing up hunched over her computer keyboard, and the one who has an ergonomic desk that can stand up, who can sit who can adjust her screen height, etc. etc. You would all tend to say that the latter person is the most settled. But are other people really in a bad place? In reality, all of his working positions can be fine as long as they are not maintained over time. The key is two, to move, is to vary.

Below, we'll look at some simple things you can implement in your company tomorrow.

First of all, you know, take the stairs. Even if it's only one or two floors and then you take the elevator, that's it. Stop taking the escalators, there are often fewer people on the stairs, I assure you that you gain twice in time and physical condition.

I talked to you earlier about varying the positions. I can only advise you to use a swissball/yoga ball in the office. Sit on it for 10-2 minutes here, 1-20 minutes there, but I don't recommend sitting on it all day unless your body is already very used to it.

It turns out that when you sit down, after 4 minutes the tone of your back muscles decreases significantly. Yes, your brain analyzes that you're safe, that you're not going to fall, so why keep a tone when it's not necessary. It only takes 4 minutes.

A study of 59 office workers examined the effect of prolonged sitting on back muscle stiffness. Participants followed their usual seated work pattern for 4.5 hours. The study found that muscle stiffness increased significantly after this period of sitting. When the sitting period was followed by an 8-minute roller massage, muscle stiffness decreased slightly below baseline. On the other hand, stiffness remained increased when the sitting period was followed by a controlled standing task. This indicates that short-term tissue manipulations can be an effective active break between periods of prolonged sitting to prevent musculoskeletal problems, such as discomfort and back pain.

For those who don't have the possibility to have a chair and a ball, I can recommend proprioception cakes. These are a kind of cushions that mimic the effect of the ball and throw you off balance. They take up much less space and you can also sit 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there.

Adopting a lifestyle with little furniture, including sitting on the floor, can have health benefits, including joint mobility and longevity. This practice is seen in some of the "Blue Zones" – parts of the world where people are living longer and healthier lives. Sitting on the floor can strengthen muscles, improve flexibility, and promote better posture. In addition, getting up from the floor regularly can contribute to better physical fitness and the prevention of chronic diseases. 

So why not put cushions on the floor in your break rooms or in some offices? 

If every day of your life you sit on the floor and get up, at 80 you have no problem doing so. But if you never go lower than a chair, at 60 years old when you look after your little children, you won't be able to stay playing on the floor with them for long.

It's like splitting, if you do it every day of your life. At 90 years old, you are able to do it. If you don't do it for 20 years, good luck...

We all know that it's nicer to enter a room that smells good than one that smells bad. But smells also play a big role in behaviour:

• Influence on consumers Leading brands use scent marketing to create a memorable and emotional experience for customers. For example, Apple introduced a signature fragrance in its stores to reinforce its brand identity. McDonald's also uses a unique blend of scents to create an emotional connection with its customers, using aromas such as vanilla and cocoa with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Starbucks stands out for the smell of its roasted coffee beans, creating a welcoming and recognizable ambience.
• Stimulation of teams The use of essential oils such as lemon, jasmine, or rosemary in offices can boost employee focus and performance. A Japanese study showed that the presence of lemon smell could reduce typing errors by 54%. Rosemary is known to improve memory and speed of mental tasks, while peppermint promotes concentration and clarity of thought.
• Improved productivity Specific flavors can be used to improve productivity in the workplace. Ginger, for example, helps with fatigue, while eucalyptus can increase blood flow to the brain, making the mind sharper and more efficient.
• Creating relaxing moods : Smells like lavender or ylang-ylang can help create a calming work environment and reduce stress. Ylang-ylang, in particular, is known to increase self-esteem and promote a sense of harmony. Lavender, often associated with relaxation, can also help improve concentration after breaks

Room colors have a noticeable impact on:

• Behavior
• Mood 
• Employee productivity.

Here are the main effects of the colors:

• Blue: Productivity, Focus
• Green: relaxes, reduces eye strain
• Yellow: creativity, energy
• Red: stimulation, excitement
• Orange: communication, social interaction

In summary, the choice of colors for an office space should not be limited to aesthetic preferences, but should also consider their psychological impact and functionality in relation to the activities planned in the space. By using colours wisely, it is possible to create an inviting, productive and aesthetically pleasing work environment that promotes the long-term well-being of employees and impresses customers and visitors.

And I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the concept of "Nudge".

A nudge is the art of persuasion, also known as a behavioral nudge.

Nudges are subtle strategies designed to guide the decisions and behaviors of employees and customers without coercing them.

The main principles are:

• Orientation in benevolence: trying to guide people towards a specific action that would be better for them.
• Freedom: giving people the choice of whether or not to use this "nudge" 
• The fact that it's playful

So I've told you that over and over again. You have to move, you have to get stronger, and you have to soften or at least maintain joint mobility.

Former physiotherapists and osteos of the XV of France have created a physical fitness assessment called Global Mobility Condition (GMC).

It is a set of 20 tests that gives a score out of 20. These tests include strength, flexibility, and functional tests. 

They correlated the risk of injury with the score on these tests. If you have a score of less than 10 out of 20, you have a 100% risk of injury during your sports season. And they are in the process of extrapolating it to the company and highlighting a correlation between poor physical condition and the risk of sick leave.

We don't ask to have an exceptional condition. For example, one of the tests is to try to touch the ground with your fingertips (standing with your legs outstretched). We don't ask you to stay in this position for a long time or to put your hands on the ground, just to be able to do it.

It is this type of fitness assessment that we offer at MES OSTEOS directly in your company in addition to osteopathy consultations.

A machine does not run without energy. And our body's energy is food!

Don't worry, I'm not going to give you a course on dietetics, I'm just going to talk briefly about our modern diet.

Our food has become nutrient-poor and our processed food is causing us to clog up the machine that is our body. Professor Seignalet also speaks in his book "Diet or 3rd Medicine" of "Pathologies of fouling". Osteoarthritis, tendinopathy, colonopathies and a good number of cancers are pathologies linked to our diet. The good news is that eating well is enough to stop the progression of a large number of diseases or even to cure.

In summary, your worst enemies are:

• Sugar
• Dairy products
• Red meat
• Gluten

So to get back to our "nudges" and the fact that we want to improve the well-being of leaders and their employees, here are some examples you can implement in your company:

• Water fountains: with fountains we avoid plastic on desks and we help the ecology but also thanks to these fountains, we push the worker to get up from his chair to drink. Be careful, the risk is that he doesn't get up to drink. It's up to you to put messages and stickers to motivate him to drink
• Provision of healthy food
  • Fruit
  • Oilseeds ++
• If you have a canteen: the goal is to
  • Making Healthy Food Accessible
  • Making Unhealthy Foods Less Accessible
  • Putting on smaller plates

That's what Google did.