n today’s working conditions, many employees are welded to their computer, laptop or tablet are constantly using their smartphone or mobile, or might simply be involved in large amounts of driving. At work even slightly failing eyesight could have a huge effect, leading to errors and possibly affecting safety.

Exercising your eyes.

Like any other muscles in the body, eye muscles need exercise to stay strong. Here are three simple and fun exercises that many have found help strengthen eyes, or to reduce eyestrain and tension.

• The Four-Minute Blink – rather than the four-minute mile, try this – for the next two minutes, blink once every four seconds or so. Then, only blink once every thirty seconds during the next two minutes. Blinking is like a screen-clearing device, preparing your mind for the next input. So, remember to blink on a frequent basis!

• Home and Away – take a comfortable standing or sitting position. Now raise your thumb so it is about 25cms in front of you. Focus on it for a few moments and then change to something that is about 3 to 6 metres away. Change focus between the two with each breath you take.

• Up Close and Personal – while sitting, move your thumb out as far as possible and into the traditional ‘hitch-hiker’s’ position. Keep focusing on your thumb as you slowly move it closer until it’s about 8cms from your eyes. Then keep your focus as you slowly move it back to its original position. Repeat several times.

Developing a healthy corporate vision

Each of the above should, of course, never be an alternative to having your eyes professionally checked on a regular basis. This is why ‘optical’ sits at the top of the list of benefits for the employer, or employee paid, corporate healthcare cash plans offered by Paycare.

Eye tests are often vital in picking up key medical conditions, such as diabetes or glaucoma. Eye care is only one vital aspect of a comprehensive healthcare cash plan, offering employee benefits, which also offer as much to those companies who wisely invest in them as their employees.

A Healthcare Cash Plan offers a competitive advantage Did you know that, in a recent survey, 69% of employers do not monitor employees’ physical health? More than a third (34%) of respondents do not have any kind of wellbeing strategy. Only one in seven (15%) of respondents communicate their wellbeing strategy to staff at least once a month.

Just one in 10 provide compulsory training to managers on their organisation’s wellbeing strategy and benefits. These are shocking figures and bad news, not just for employees, but also for the efficient operation of the businesses concerned. Workplace wellbeing is quickly climbing the agenda as business realise the real value it can make both to employee engagement and the bottom line.

While many businesses have taken proactive steps to improve the support on offer to staff, they need to take a more holistic approach. They may have brought in a great new scheme to help improve employee health, but unless they communicate this to staff, and train line managers on how and when to offer it, they are not making the most of the associated benefits.

Paycare not only offer a choice of healthcare cash plans, we handle the claims procedure, market the plans and train HR in the benefits that such plans bring to all parties.