31/07/2024
At Zip Water, we understand the importance of staying hydrated all year round. However, during the summer months, when the body loses water more quickly, keeping hydration levels high and drinking enough water is even more important, particularly at work.
Recently, we compiled our Ultimate guide to hydration to shed more light on the benefits of staying properly hydrated throughout the day at work, and the impact of dehydration on the body. In our research, we discovered the negative impact dehydration can have on concentration levels, mood, and performance.
This is particularly true in spells of very hot weather, where the risks posed by dehydration can be severe. The NHS recommends drinking six to eight glasses of water everyday, but also states you may need to drink more in hot weather. They also recommend cooling down in warmer periods with cold foods and drinks, as well as avoiding alcohol, hot drinks, and caffeine.
Join us as we share the benefits of staying hydrated at work, and our top tips for keeping employees hydrated this summer.
Did you know that 70% of people regularly go 7 or more hours without a glass of water? When asked why, many explained that they were 'too busy' during the working day. And it's understandable – when you're busy working through your to-do list, it's easy to forget to drink water and keep up your daily fluid intake.
That said, our cells and organs require water to work properly, which is why it can be uncomfortable to feel thirsty – that's your body reminding you to drink water! But even with these helpful reminders, it's still a challenge to drink enough water at work.
Therefore it's important to give employees the tools they need to stay hydrated. We know that if water is readily available – and tastes great – employees are much more likely to up their water intake. And the benefits of drinking enough water are countless.
Did you know that drinking water helps to maintain better brain function? Indeed, according to Healthline, even mild dehydration, such as the loss of 1–3% of body weight, can impair many aspects of brain function.
In hot weather especially, drinking enough fluids is important to stay in good health and prevent dehydration. Severe dehydration can lead to higher risk of health conditions including headaches and heat stroke, as we lose water quicker when the temperature is higher.
It's easy to think that water intake only matters when you're doing intense exercise. And it's true that physical activity usually results in greater fluid loss in the body, but drinking water is important regardless of your activity levels.
Read on for our suggestions for how to help employees stay hydrated at work.
As many of us spend a large proportion of our time at work, it's important to consider how to help encourage good hydration habits. Although it can be tempting to reach for sugary drinks after a long meeting when energy levels are low, the best way to stay hydrated is good old fashioned H2O.
That said, it's not necessarily enough to simply point employees in the direction of a tap. Although a glass of water from the tap is hydrating, not everyone is keen on the way it tastes.
As experts in workplace hydration, we're well versed in providing the best solutions to stay hydrated at work. We offer products that make life easier by providing delicious tasting water on tap, but we know there are more ways to help employees stay hydrated.
Here are four suggestions for how to stay hydrated at work. If you're looking for more, we also created a downloadable PDF with more detail on how to keep your workforce hydrated in the office.
Although we are water lovers here at Zip, having a glass of water is not the only way to keep hydration levels up. Another way to keep fluid levels up is to eat foods that have a high water content.
For example, did you know that apples and oranges are 86% water? In fact, many fruits and vegetables have a high water content, making them great office snacks.
As previously mentioned, tap water hydrates the body perfectly well. However, here at Zip, we know how important taste is for encouraging water intake. In fact, in some recent research we found that 89% of people said that they would drink more if they had access to our chilled, filtered water. Simply put: it's a matter of taste.
Tap water, though perfectly safe to drink, is full of impurities that can affect the taste. By offering filtered water, you're providing a hydration option that also tastes great.
But we haven't stopped there. A HydroTap can also dispense sparkling water -- a great alternative option to still water that boasts the same overall health benefits. We recently wrote a blog exploring the benefits of sparkling water in the workplace, if you're interested in learning more.
You can also offer other drinks for variety. From no added sugar squash, to herbal teas, it's easier to drink more fluids when there are plenty of options to choose from.
Another great way to help employees stay hydrated is to provide a reusable water bottle to every employee. Although drinking a small glass of water is still a great way to hydrate, a water bottle can generally hold more, and therefore provide hydration more readily throughout the day.
You could even opt for a water bottle with graphics on the side to help employees keep track of how much water they are consuming. This is a great motivator and a useful visual reminder to drink more.
It's also a great way to save on single-use plastic. Combining a reusable water bottle with a filtered water tap, like HydroTap can help to eliminate single-use plastic in your workplace. This is something we're very passionate about at Zip, and if you're interested in reducing plastic in your workplace, you can read our guide to going plastic-free in your workplace.
Especially in warm weather, it's even more important to make access to drinking water as easy as possible. In larger offices, it can be difficult to provide drinking water in enough places for staff to find easily. And from our research, we know that having great tasting water readily available means that people are more likely to drink enough.
A solution for this is to install a chilled water dispenser, or even a boiling and chilled water tap in multiple areas of your office. And with HydroTap, you don't even need a sink! Installation over a font saves valuable space while providing a hydration solution for your employees exactly where needed.
For more information on how HydroTap could help keep your workforce hydrated this summer and beyond, get in touch today.
zipwater.co.uk
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