Pure Water And Employee Productivity: A Good Investment
 In a competitive world productivity is king. When employees are
productive in their jobs, everyone benefits from the individual
employee, the firm, the consumer and the economy as a whole.
Increased productivity is one of the main elements returning a
depressed economy to health and growth...

High levels of productivity are hard to maintain however,
particularly in the office environment. Even small increases in
productivity can result in greater profits for the firm and
better wages and benefits for employees.

What Are The Most Harmful Elements for Productivity?

In the office environment the two factors with the most negative
effects on productivity are sugar and dehydration. New studies
show that these two factors, both individually and together have
a significant and direct decrease in employee productivity.

The Problem with Sugar

Sugar, particularly processed sugar, is detrimental to
productivity and recent studies of the workforce in the United
Kingdom indicate that productivity can be significantly increased
by eliminating sugar from the workplace.1 The greatest sources of
sugar in the workplace are carbonated soft drinks that are loaded
with sugar and other harmful ingredients.

Sugar, when initially ingested, causes a sharp burst of energy
but the effects wear off rapidly resulting in the well known
"Sugar Crash" or "Siesta Syndrome." The "Sugar Crash" or "Siesta
Syndrome" is evidenced by lethargy, loss of interest in work
tasks and even sleepiness – all results that decrease
productivity.

The U.K. study concluded with the following regarding the "Siesta
Syndrome:"

* Three quarters of U.K. workers admit to being less productive
in the afternoon

* A quarter believe they produce the least work between 2pm and
4pm

* More than half (52 percent) admit to making mistakes during
this time

* Men are 10 percent more likely to make mistakes than women

* One in ten admit they are 90 -100 percent less productive
during this time

The study concluded that the main cause for the productivity
inhibiting "Siesta Syndrome" was the effect of sugar on the
body:

"Misconceptions still exist about why employees suffer from
"Siesta Syndrome" but usually the main reasons for this drop in
productivity are meals being skipped and the wrong sorts of food
being eaten. If workers feel they don't have time for lunch or
don't have the option of healthy food being available within the
office, it's no wonder that by 2pm sugar levels are so low they
affect brain activity levels."

The U.K study continues with specific recommendations to maintain
productivity:

* Avoid sweet foods and sugary drinks, which cause sudden sugar
boosts, followed by a lull in energy.

* Cut back on alcohol and caffeine, which artificially stimulate
energy levels.

* Drink plenty of water. Even slight dehydration will affect
mental and physical performance leaving you feeling tired and
groggy.

Many companies, in an effort to increase productivity in the work
place have made pure water available to employees at convenient
places in the office or plant. The cost is small and the returns
are large making pure water a good investment.

Dehydration is Also a Factor

Dehydration drains the energy of workers and significantly
reduces productivity.

In addition, dehydration is hard to spot in its early stages and
by the time a person is noticeably thirsty, they are thoroughly
dehydrated. Dehydration leads to symptoms similar to low blood
sugar and the impact on productivity can be considerable.

A recent study on dehydration and its effects on the workplace
concluded that dehydration has a major impact on productivity and
dehydration is pervasive in the work force resulting from
inadequate intake of liquids, particularly water.2

The cure for dehydration is simple and effective – pure drinking
water that is easily accessible and in abundant quantities.

Why Purified Water?

There are many forms of drinking water and they vary in quality:

* Tap water is accessible but contains contaminants and other
minerals that are harmful to long term health and tastes bad
because of the addition of chlorine.

It is interesting to note that the Dehydration Study noted above
concluded that the main cause of dehydration was the fact that
many employees did not like to drink tap water because of the
harsh, unpleasant taste of chlorine.

* Bottled water is often bottled tap water or spring water that
often contains chemicals and contaminants due to industrial or
agricultural runoff. The taste of spring water is also unpleasant
to some consumers.

* Purified water. By far the purest and best tasting water is
purified water created through a distillation/oxygenation process
that delivers pure water with a light refreshing taste. Purified
water not only increases productivity but it tastes good and
encourages employees to drink more water.

Productivity is a critical issue for any company or organization.
A simple and cost effective way to increase productivity is by
supplying employees with an ample and easily accessible supply of
the purest, freshest tasting water.

Increase productivity with purified water for only a small
investment.

Try it and see the results.


Notes

1.) Personnel Zone Direct: Issue List: Sugar:

2.) The "Study on Workplace Environment and Health":