Category: Workplace Wellness

“What’s the water cooler chat at work?”

That’s a sentence that’s as old as, well, water coolers at work. While modern workspace layouts have moved away from cubicle farms to more free-form spaces that lend themselves to more communication and collaboration, there’s still a place for the water cooler.

Of course the [obvious] physical benefits of drinking water are first and foremost why you should have a water cooler at work, but all of the ancillary benefits should not be forgotten either. We’ve gone over the physical benefits of water a lot in this space, and we will again because it’s something we believe in so strongly. Simply put, drinking lots of water is good for your brain, your body, and your overall well being. Workers who are well hydrated and refreshed are better workers than those who aren’t.

So what about those ancillary benefits? We’re glad you asked, here are 5 [Unobvious] Benefits of Having a Water Cooler at Work (that have nothing to do with the physical benefits of drinking water).

A Water Cooler Encourages Company Culture

A strong company culture is often overlooked when assessing the successes and failures of a business. It shouldn’t be. A positive vibe and a strong sense of “team” go a long way toward success. It’s sort of like a successful athlete who may not be the biggest or run the fastest, but has success because of their great intangibles. You can’t really measure a “company culture,” but you certainly know it when you see it. Aside from the physical benefits of a water cooler, it also serves as a gathering spot for co-workers to catch up on each other’s day-to-day lives. It brings them together in a social environment rather than a working one. That might sound like a small thing, but it’s not. A team that knows one another and cares for one another leads to a positive company culture and gives your company a better chance at success.

Encourages Casual Facetime with Management

In many companies, there are those with offices and those without. Often the communication between managers and those they manage is hindered by a lack of communication. A water cooler can provide a relaxing, casual atmosphere where managers and those that report to them can talk about life outside of work. Again, this may seem like a small thing but creating a stronger relationship between co-workers will always lead to a more productive team.

It Brings Employees Together

There are a lot of businesses where, for the lack of a better term, “the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.” This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and is often unavoidable. Sometimes different departments are in different areas, or manufacturing floors are separated from offices. A water cooler brings together employees who may not see that much of one another. Sure, workers can all be connected via computers, but actual face time gives nuance and body language to interactions which can be invaluable in forming a cohesive team.

Everyone Needs a Time Out During the Day

Most workplaces are filled with pressures. Deadlines, presentations, sales, producing results, etc., wherever you work there is more than likely some type of pressure. A water cooler can provide an oasis of calm for any staff. Everyone needs to walk away from their desk every once in a while to get recharged. A water cooler provides an ideal setting to relax, catch up with co-workers and get reinvigorated for a work project.

Water Cooler Talk Improves Employee Engagement

How long is your work day? Eight hours? Nine? Ten? Look, everyone loves a grinder, but it’s a little much to expect workers to stay on task all day, every day. In fact, that’s probably a bad business plan. Effective workers need to be able to decompress throughout the day. Employees who know they can do just that at the water cooler every once in a while will become more engaged employees. People want to produce for employers who are looking out for them. A water cooler provides refreshment both physically and mentally.

At Premium Waters, we talk a lot about how our bodies need water. We all understand that drinking plenty of water throughout the day is crucial to refueling your body and living a life of vitality. Our goal as a company is to offer convenience, quality and variety to all of our customers. More ways to refresh. We offer premium bottled, packaged, distilled, caffeinated and flavored waters, plus state-of-the-art water coolers, water filtration systems and a full line of specialty coffee services.

While we hope that everyone at your workplace is staying properly hydrated, the truth is that many people don’t hydrate enough during the course of their day. On the surface, dehydration doesn’t look like a big problem for most businesses, because cases only become documented if they are so severe that they require medical attention. That’s only a tiny percentage of actual dehydration cases.

Below, we’ve outlined a few of the impacts dehydration can have on workplace productivity.

Even Mild Dehydration Causes a Drop in Workplace Productivity

Just one percent dehydration has been found to decrease worker productivity by 12 percent. The more dehydrated a worker becomes, the more severe their drop in productivity becomes: 3-4 percent dehydration can bring about a 25 percent decline in worker productivity. At just one percent dehydration, workers begin experiencing decreased cognitive abilities, reduced concentration and alertness, and slower reaction times.

Delayed Reaction Time

Three percent dehydration can slow a person’s reaction time to the same extent as .08 blood alcohol content. At .08 blood alcohol, you are five times more likely to be in a car accident, so a three percent dehydration level at work is not only going to slow workplace productivity, but makes it much more likely that a person would suffer a workplace accident.

Impaired Physical and Mental Performance

Dehydration can reduce mental as well as physical performance, and is therefore just as important for office workers as it is for manual workers. Increased work load, stress, long journeys to and from work and dry air, can all increase water loss. A common cause of dehydration in the workplace is air conditioning, which causes low water content in the atmosphere, leading to increased water loss from the lungs and through the skin. A lack of adequate hydration at work can cause symptoms such as tiredness, loss of concentration and headaches.

The Solution? DRINK WATER!

The main way to prevent dehydration in the workplace is to drink plenty of water. Begin your shift well hydrated and remember to drink water at regular intervals throughout the day. Thirst is a sign that moderate dehydration has already set in.

Common Warning Signs

How do you know if you’re dehydrated? The following symptoms may be a sign that you are at least moderately dehydrated:

• Dry mouth
• Sleepiness
• Thirst
• Dry skin
• Headaches
• Lightheadedness
• Decreased urine output

Drinking plenty of water is essential to one’s overall health, well-being, and workplace productivity. Without convenient delivery services to your office, your employees and customers may not be properly hydrating or refueling their bodies for maximum energy and vitality.

At Premium Waters, we’re dedicated to providing the very best, highest-quality products to our customers. We offer the convenience of office delivery as well as a large variety of water product options to choose from.