Nutrition and exercise – critical elements in the whirlwind of working life

In working life, employee well-being is a key success factor that has a direct impact on the company’s productivity, innovation capacity and competitive advantage. In occupational health care, this means taking into account employees’ physical, mental and social well-being and promoting their health.

Why is nutrition important for coping at work?

Our Senior Nutritionist Tiiamari Tuominen emphasises the importance of nutrition for coping at work. Nutrition can prevent illnesses and support good alertness, work efficiency and recovery from work. The significance of nutrition is slightly different in different types of work tasks. In physically straining and demanding work tasks, the importance of nutrition is key for work ability and performance, recovery from work and, for example, the health of the musculoskeletal system. Nutrition has also been shown to affect mental health and, on the other hand, cognitive properties, such as concentration.

Some types of work, such as shift and night work, increase the risk of lifestyle diseases and weight management challenges. Correspondingly, in the transport industry and field work, the job description makes it more difficult to arrange meals during work shifts. These can be prevented through nutrition and, of course, other healthy lifestyles choices. The multidisciplinary team of occupational health care supports your company in mapping out various measures that should be targeted directly at work communities and employees in need.

How does exercise affect work ability?

Anna Gustafsson, Service Director of our musculoskeletal services, says that the body needs movement to stay healthy. Movement affects our ability to work and recover from work. This applies to both physically demanding work and sedentary work. Movement is also important for mental well-being and stress tolerance. Exercise has been shown to alleviate anxiety or mild depression, and active exercise also prevents the development of several underlying diseases.

The annual cost of a lack of exercise in Finland is EUR 3.2 billion. A large part of these costs falls on the employer in the form of, for example, the use of health care services, disability pensions and sickness-related absences. Gustafsson points out that people who do not have physical activity as part of their daily lives need different support than those who are already actively moving. This is where occupational health care can support the company. With the multidisciplinary competence, information and data of occupational health care, various measures can be detected and targeted towards those who need them. Systematic cooperation between occupational health care and the company can be used to target actions at the individual or community level for the well-being of those who need help.

Preventive support at the work community level through occupational health cooperation

Measures and well-being services targeted at individuals are important, but from the point of view of cost-effectiveness and effectiveness in general, the work environment and community-level measures are more effective and also reduce the need for individual-level work. The levels of occupational health support can be divided into three different levels:

• Work environment support to get the work environment to support the employees
• Work community support in order to have a work culture that supports good health behaviour
• Individual support involving various experts in a diverse manner, also as teams

Occupational health helps to target help towards the work community in a way that is appropriate for it and helps the company understand who or where to target help in order for it to be effective.

Monitoring and diversity are important for impact

In addition to the individual, work at the work community and working environment level should be taken into account already in the workplace survey processes. The workplace survey can be used to map the job description and consider what kinds of health and nutritional challenges and risks can be seen at work.

The workplace survey and the company’s action plan can be used to jointly agree on various measures to support the overall well-being of employees and prevent the decline in work ability. The multidisciplinary team of occupational health care supports the company in determining the necessary measures. Measures can include, for example, information and advice for night shift employees or workshops on how nutrition can have a positive impact on well-being and coping in both everyday life and work. Occupational health care can also visit the workplace, if necessary, to survey and consider how to arrange meals during the work shift, taking into account the requirements of different job descriptions, the size of the personnel and the practices of the job description. Another example is working time planning and enabling different breaks at times that work better for well-being.

Occupational health provides extensive support

Nutrition and exercise are directly related to a person’s health and ability to cope at work. With regard to statutory occupational health care services, occupational health professionals, such as an occupational health physician and occupational health nurse, have the opportunity to consult occupational health care experts, such as a dietician, if there are challenges related to the employee’s work ability, where the importance of nutrition has been shown to be central to the maintenance of work ability or guidance is needed for the prevention of the health effects of exposures at work.

In addition to preventive work, well-being at work can also be increased through additional services or coaching, webinars, lectures and group guidance that enable treatment support. The topics are always tailored to the company’s wishes and needs. Occupational health care also offers various information and support for company management to support decision-making and various measures.

The article was written based on the webinar Ravitsemus ja liikkuminen työelämän pyörteissä – yksilölliset tarpeet ja yhteiset ratkaisut (Nutrition and physical activity in the busy working life – individual needs and joint solutions) held on 18 September 2024. You can listen to the webinar hereExternal link(in Finnish).