Sitting at a desk all day can cause sore muscles and pain in your employees. Allowing them moments to get up and exercise during their workday will keep them happy and healthy and we all know employee satisfaction is extremely important.
Hunched over a keyboard all day can wreak havoc on an employee’s shoulders and back. Shoulder stretches can help employees loosen up. Shoulder rolls are easy and merely require employees to gently roll their shoulders up and back in a circular motion to relieve tension. Chest stretches can be incorporated into shoulder stretch routines for a more dynamic stretch.
Chin tucks not only help employees stretch their necks, but strengthen it as well. They can be done at any time during the day. This exercise is simple—all employees need to do is lower their chin to their chest and hold before bringing their head back up and repeating. Remember to reiterate the importance of keeping their back straight so they can reap the benefits of this stretch.
Lower back stretches can be done sitting down easily enough, which is good for employees who can’t get up and leave their desks at the moment. An employee can bend forward in their chair and, keeping their back straight, touch their fingers to the floor before rising back up and repeating.
While body stretches are good, employees must not forget to stretch their hands as well. Hand and finger stretches will help prevent hand and wrist injuries like Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Give employees these hand stretches:
In addition to these stretches, encourage employees to adopt good desk posture for better health and better employee satisfaction.