The workplace built environment influences nutrition by shaping how, where and when people eat and drink. Easy access to fresh drinking water encourages hydration. Healthcare fit-outs with accessible kitchens, pleasant break areas and adequate space make healthy eating easier. When people have somewhere to step away from work, they are more likely to pause, eat mindfully and return refreshed.
Jerry Kennard, Director of Evoke, expands, “A clinician moves from one patient to the next. A practice manager juggles staff, patients, suppliers and the unexpected. Reception teams may spend hours at their desks without moving. Lunch gets pushed back, water gets forgotten and a quick snack replaces a proper break. A healthcare fit-out that makes it easy to refuel throughout the day increases the chances that people will fuel well.”
Your team’s energy, focus and well-being influence every interaction with patients. Research shows that when people are tired, hungry, dehydrated or uncomfortable, it becomes harder to perform at their best. All these negative feelings can be caused by poor nutrition and hydration. When healthy habits are continually squeezed out by the demands of the working day, the effects extend beyond an individual. Morale, concentration, resilience and team culture will be affected.
Jerry says, “Practice owners and healthcare leaders have an opportunity to design workplaces that recognise this reality. At Evoke, we know that a well-designed healthcare practice does not simply provide somewhere for people to work. A Well-Place™ supports the people doing the work.”
We often don’t notice how little water we drink during a busy day. A full appointment book, a queue at reception or an urgent task can easily take priority over something as basic as getting a drink.
Accessible and fresh drinking water changes the equation.
Think about where people naturally move through your healthcare practice. Is there somewhere convenient to fill a water bottle? Can staff access drinking water without having to walk through a patient area? Is it equally easy for patients and visitors to get a drink when they need one? These may sound like small considerations, but small environmental cues influence everyday behaviour.
Healthcare professionals spend much of their day looking after others. It is easy for their own meal break to become an afterthought.
Eating lunch at a computer, standing at a workstation or squeezing food in between appointments might keep the day moving, but it does not create a genuine opportunity to pause and reset.
The healthcare fit-out can help change that.
A dedicated staff area, even a modest one, sends an important message that taking a proper break is part of the working day, not an indulgence. That pause is valuable for more than eating. It gives people an opportunity to recharge, connect with colleagues and return to their work with renewed attention. A workplace that makes breaks possible is a workplace that recognises people as people, not just resources.
In healthcare, hygiene is fundamental. But its importance goes beyond infection control. People notice their environment.
Patients entering a practice are often already thinking about their health. They may be nervous about what they will encounter. A clean, well-maintained environment provides reassurance. For staff, the environment demonstrates that their health, safety and comfort matter.
Cleaning up the communal kitchen or meal area is often a bone of contention. A dirty fridge or unloaded dishwasher bother some people more than others. Don’t let this become an issue in your workplace. Implement a cleaning roster or make it part of your cleaning company’s daily responsibilities.
The most effective workplace habits are often the ones that require the least effort. If fresh drinking water means walking to another floor, it’s less likely to happen. If eating lunch means sitting at a workstation, the boundary between work and break becomes blurred. Always ask yourself if your healthcare fit-out supports the behaviour you want to encourage.
Where do people naturally walk? What do they see? What is convenient? What does the environment tell them about how much their well-being matters? These are design questions, but ultimately, they are people questions.
“Fuel Well” is another part of the Well-Places™ Ecosystem, Evoke’s science-backed approach to designing, delivering and continually improving healthcare environments where people can be and do well.
Fuel Well considers how the environment can support the everyday behaviours that keep people going. Next month, we will look at “Move Well” and how ergonomics, circulation and physical activity impact your team.
