From providing high-quality and accessible yet free drinking water through cooler stations to spreading awareness by sharing tips for hydration, these are some of the ways supportive employers can help employees stay hydrated.
Employers also play crucial roles in keeping employees away from dehydration by encouraging regular breaks. In some cases, corporate owners and leaders must also adopt appropriate workplace adjustments.
As an employer yourself, you'd want your people to drink water to stay hydrated and avoid the effects of dehydration. The latter is a significant and common health concern, with three in four (75%) Americans having chronic dehydration, according to the National Council on Aging.
By encouraging hydration in the workplace, you can help your hard-working people become more productive while promoting better overall health and well-being.
What Does It Mean to Stay Hydrated?
The phrase "stay hydrated" refers to proactive, conscious habits and practices of replacing the fluids that the body loses before the earliest signs of dehydration even occur (e.g., feeling thirsty). It involves drinking adequate amounts of fluid, ideally plain water, and eating water-rich foods.
What Are the 5 Warning Signs of Dehydration?
If the body loses or releases more fluids than it takes in, dehydration will soon follow. Even mild dehydration can result in unpleasant symptoms, while severe cases can be deadly.
Here are five primary (and early) signs and indications of dehydration:
- Feeling thirsty
- Having dark urine (amber or dark yellow)
- Reduced frequency of urination
- Dry mouth and skin
- Fatigue and dizziness
Left unaddressed, more severe symptoms and complications can occur, including fainting spells and organ damage.
How Are Supportive Employers Helping Their Employees Stay Hydrated?
When employers show they value and support employees (e.g., prioritizing worker health and well-being), employees are more likely to become engaged, productive, and committed to the company.
Indeed, Gallup says employees are 69% less likely to search for a new job actively if they thrive in their well-being. They're also 71% less likely to experience frequent burnout.
Since hydration is critical to overall health, employers such as yourself can prove that you care about your employees and their well-being by implementing the following.
Making High-Quality, Free Drinking Water Accessible
It can be easier for your employees to stay hydrated if you make drinking water "top of mind." You can do so by investing in hydration stations and installing modern bottleless water coolers in strategic locations throughout the workplace.
By just being "there" and visible, hydration stations and water coolers can already encourage people to drink refreshing water, even if they don't feel thirsty.
Giving Away Reusable Water Bottles and Tumblers as Corporate Gifts
Promote better hydration while minimizing waste generation by giving employees reusable water bottles and tumblers as branded corporate gifts. Their drink containers can serve as a daily, personal reminder for them to stay hydrated.
Sharing Awareness and Tips for Staying Hydrated
Helping your employees better understand how hydration can make or break their health will make them more likely to want to stay hydrated. One way to achieve this goal is to organize health and wellness initiatives like talks highlighting:
- Hydration safety tips
- The importance of staying hydrated
- The dangers of becoming dehydrated
Another idea is to "gamify" things by hosting engaging yet educational hydration challenges. Awarding small prizes can further incentivize your employees to build lasting healthy habits.
Encouraging Regular Hydration Breaks
If possible and feasible, make short but regular (e.g., 3-minute) hydration breaks mandatory in the workplace. It gives your employees time to stretch their arms and legs, too, encouraging better circulation.
You can also motivate employees to take hydration breaks by offering free hydrating foods in breakrooms and pantries. Examples of low-cost, healthy, and nutritious hydrating snacks and treats include:
- Cucumbers
- Celery sticks
- Carrot sticks
- Fruits like watermelon, melon, strawberries, cantaloupe, and peaches
- Light dairy, such as yogurt
- Cold treats like fruit and vegetable smoothies, fresh fruit popsicles, and frozen grapes
Adopting Appropriate Workplace Adjustments
Hydration-related workplace adjustments are particularly critical during the hot season. Summer and hydration must go hand in hand, even more so for workers whose jobs involve being outdoors or working in warm environments.
One example of an appropriate workplace adjustment is ensuring electrolyte beverages, in addition to refreshingly cold water, are always available to outdoor workers. You should also consider rescheduling strenuous workloads during the cooler parts of the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Long-Term Health Consequences of Failure to Stay Hydrated?
Chronic dehydration can lead to severe long-term consequences like kidney disease and impaired cognitive function. It may even contribute to cardiovascular problems, such as increased risk of heart failure and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Joint pain and premature skin aging may also occur as a result of failure to stay hydrated. Likewise, urinary tract infections (UTIs) and chronic fatigue may become more frequent occurrences due to unaddressed dehydration.
How Can Dehydrated Employees Affect Your Business?
With all the health consequences of dehydration, from impaired cognitive function to UTIs and chronic fatigue, having frequently dehydrated employees equates to a higher absenteeism rate. They may keep calling in sick, and the more sick workers you have, the lower your business's productivity rate.
Low productivity levels mean low output, which can take the form of reduced manufacturing rate or decreased service quality. You can also expect more missed deadlines and higher operational costs. All these can contribute to unhappy customers, client loss, and ultimately, lower profitability.
Chronic dehydration among your employees can lower company morale, too. It can, after all, affect their moods and energy levels, making them irritable and anxious.
Things can get worse if your organization doesn't make any effort to promote hydration, as employees may think the company doesn't value them at all. Such perceptions may result in workers quitting or thinking about leaving.
Help Employees Stay Hydrated With These Strategies
By making free, high-quality drinking water accessible at the workplace, educating workers about hydration, and encouraging regular breaks, you, as an employer, can help employees stay hydrated. You can show them that you're a supportive leader and that you value their health and well-being by wanting to protect them from dehydration.
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