Transparency is extremely important to us, so we are letting you know that we may receive a commission on some of links you click on from this page. See our disclaimer.

We make them in our so-called “real lives,” but we spend more time at the office than just about anywhere else. So why shouldn't we have New Year's resolutions for workplace wellness?

A piece in Benefits Pro by Sylvia Landy Vail, co-founder of Mainstay, Inc., offers three main ideas: “focus, food and smart engagement.”

• “Focusing your efforts allows for investment in meaningful resources that build and, over time, infuse a culture’s DNA with a clear message and pathway.”
• “The most effective way to accomplish sustainable weight loss is to help employees change up eating habits for the long term… To galvanize the troops, it’s most effective to create a common language around nutrition and habit change that resonates within your broad-based population and associated family members.”
• “Finally, be a smart engager. Smart engagement ties together messaging and activities, so there is a clear theme and road map that leverages group dynamics, but provides for individual support that extends to the household.”

Waiter.com offered its suggestions, focusing greatly on ways to help employees succeed:

• “Lead by example. Before you can support others’ goals, you’ll need to gain credibility by setting your own. To successfully promote wellness in the workplace, senior management needs to be actively on board.”
• “Make resolutions social. Sharing goals with others is a frequently cited resolution-keeping tip, and one of the easiest to implement in the office. Create like-minded “resolution clubs” for staffers who are looking to improve their eating habits, exercise more frequently, or even quit smoking.”
• “Encourage simple, trackable goals. Encourage workers to be specific, and make resolutions with progress that can be easily tracked.”
• “Provide healthy options in the lunch room. Collaborate with the office manager in charge of ordering food, and ensure that a wide variety of healthy takeout options are included: vegetarian pizzas, brown rice and steamed vegetables with Chinese food, and salads with everything!”