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Blue @ Work

The importance of hydration in the workplace

Try our hydration challenge.

This article was last updated June 8, 2023.

Sugar, phosphoric acid, caramel color and artificial dyes — oh my!

These are only a few common ingredients that are found within a short walking distance of your employee’s desks (cough: the workplace vending machine). When vending machines are filled with enticing flavors of soda, sports and energy drinks, and sweetened waters and teas, it can be difficult for your employees to make the healthy choice.

Thanks to readily available options like these, nearly 75 percent of Americans are suffering from chronic dehydration External Site — including employees within your workplace (maybe even you!).

Getting employees to drink water throughout the day is no easy task, but it has a whole host of benefits Opens in a new window. When employees drink more water, they can see improvements in their heart health, weight management, better digestive and gut health, brain power, energy, fewer headaches and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes External Site.

How dehydration can affect your workplace

As your company’s HR or benefit administrator, you have a natural knack for keeping your employees' health and well-being in mind and in line with your company objectives. Did you know even being slightly dehydrated can have negative implications External Site for both your employees and their work productivity throughout the day?

  • 1 percent dehydration has been found to decrease cognitive skills and reduce concentration.
  • 3–4 percent dehydration contributes to a 25 percent decline in productivity.

Introduce the workplace hydration challenge

Keep your employees happy, healthy and hydrated year-round with the hydration challenge water tracker. Search for form number M-2020545, download it from the Wellmark Marketing Toolkit and share it within your office today.


7 infused-water recipes to try at work

Do you or your employees bring the same lunch to work every single day? The answer is likely no because it would get boring, right? The same can be said for water. Drinking water doesn’t have to be boring, though. Even your office's most avid water-drinkers may be eager to switch it up.

Save the day by sharing these seven infused-water recipes Opens in a new window from BlueSM online to keep your employees hydrated throughout the day.