Corporate Hydration and the Impact on Productivity: Hydrated Employees are Happier

There are seemingly countless ways that keeping hydrated is essential for your mind and your body. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day prevents dehydration, keeps your mind sharper, your skin clear, and keeps your energy levels up.

But have you ever thought about how your company could benefit from employees who are well hydrated? Most companies have not, but it is something you should consider if you are seeking happier and more productive employees.

If your teams are well hydrated, there is a significant increase in their performance levels.

Take these statistics for example:

• “In order to maintain peak levels of productivity, the body needs to be fully hydrated.
• Just a 1% drop in hydration could lead to a 12% drop in productivity.
• A 3% to 4% drop in hydration could lead to a drop in productivity of between 25% and 50%.”

The above statistic suggests that employees that are chronically dehydrated and do not drink enough water throughout the day will not be nearly as productive compared to if they were well hydrated. If you consider that 75% of your brain is made up of water, it is no wonder that dehydrated employees are not as successful with their work and completing tasks than those who have drunken enough water during the workday.

Furthermore, when you are dehydrated, your body is not as energized as it should be. You feel a severe lack of energy and you have a much more difficult time concentrating and focusing on the work at hand. Your brain is also functioning at less than optimal levels, making tasks feel much harder than they should.

How to Keep Your Employees Hydrated

Now that you know the benefits of keeping your employees hydrated, you may want ways you can implement better hydrated practices for your teams. Although you cannot force your employees to drink throughout the day, you can provide them with ways that may encourage them to hydrate during the work day.

Install a water cooler in the office. You can place it in the kitchen or another area where many of your employees tend to congregate. Easy access to water will make people much more likely to drink water if it is quick and convenient. You can even provide your employees with their own reusable water bottle or tumbler, so they always have something to fill up with water and take on the go.

You can also keep other low-sugar and no-sugar beverages in the company kitchen as well. Not everyone like to guzzle bottles of water all day long, so providing other options is key as well. Drinks like flavored bubbly water, unsweetened ice tea, coffee, infused fruit waters, and low-sugar fruit and veggie juices are great ways to stay hydrated as well.

Many fruits and veggies also contain lots of water. Watermelon, celery, apples, oranges, grapes, bell peppers, and more are great options to keep in your company kitchen that employees can grab-and-go to snack on. These options have tons of nutrition, but the higher water contents will also play a part in keeping them hydrated as well.