It was the hottest June in 40 years and the weather services is predicting more heatwaves for the rest of the season, making it one of the warmest summers on record. Heatwaves are a global phenomenon at the moment, and what many experts say is a taste of what’s to come in the future – our new ‘normal’. While we need to get our head around that and what it means for us long-term, we have to be cognisant of our immediate responsibility to staff members to ensure they remain properly hydrated. This is not just a health issue, because now more than ever, remaining properly hydrated is essential for peak performance. Business owners are constantly looking at ways to improve productivity, and one simple and cost-effective way to do so is to ensure there are enough instant taps or water coolers in break out areas so that staff have access to clean and safe drinking water throughout the working day.
The Natural Hydration Council, in their ‘Hydration at Work’ document stated that ‘the brain is particularly sensitive to changes in water balance, which in turn, can affect mental performance (e.g. concentration, alertness and short-term memory) and overall work-related productivity.’ In one study it was found that water deprivation had a negative impact on the reaction times of the male and female volunteers, they were left feeling fatigued and sluggish. Another study found that five adult volunteers that consumed very little drinking water for either 13, 24 or 37 hours had decidedly impaired concentration and reaction times.
Other negative side effects of dehydration include headaches and moodiness, ‘when we are lacking fluid, we can start to feel increasingly agitated, impatient and tense’ – not the best demeanor for being productive. While the type of work we do will affect the level of hydration necessary – after all someone doing manual labor outside fully exposed to the extreme heat will need far more drinking water than someone working indoors – but even those of us in an office exposed to air conditioning, which is known to dry out our skin, need to top up on our water intake to ensure we are sufficiently hydrated.
As we gear up for even hotter days, let’s be sure that we’re prepared and have everything we need to ensure employees are happy, healthy and productive. For your personally tailored water solution to help you do so, and which may encompass any one of the water cooler or instant taps ranges, reach out to AquAid today.
