Feb 25 2015

The Influence of Co-Workers

I found this great article from @HoustonChronicle on how co-workers are influenced by their peers. http://work.chron.com/coworkers-affect-employee-behavior-4245.html

Essentially, the article by says that all employees are strongly influenced by their co-workers. Some of the key areas where behavior is swayed are “bullying, complaining, productivity, and entrepreneurship”. One of the areas that I have a heightened awareness to that I noticed was missing from the article was wellness.

If all of your co-workers meet for pizza buffet every Wednesday, chances are, you will be more likely to overeat and make less healthy choices. On the other hand, if a group from your office meets at the gym for the weightlifting class every Tuesday after work, not only will you all be more likely be more productive on Tuesdays, you will also be less likely to meet at the pizza buffet.
What if you don’t have a good example at the office? Then become the good example. Remember behavior is contagious, and chances are you have some co-workers who are wanting to adopt healthier habits but they don’t know where to start and are looking for an accountability partner.
If you want to take it a step further, consider consulting with your company’s wellness coordinator for some ideas and inspiration. If your company doesn’t have a wellness coordinator, then we would be happy to provide that service for you all. Reach out here- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Jackie Bracey

Chief Operating Officer