Water Station: Making Hydration Visible
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Nutrition€0 · freeunder 30 min

Water Station: Making Hydration Visible

A small building block with full reach: the water station truly reaches everyone in BGM – with no participation barrier, as a visible signal in the nutrition action area.

Why even mild dehydration costs you during the workday Concentration lapses, headaches, afternoon fatigue – much of this is linked to insufficient fluid intake, long before real thirst is felt. The tricky part: people working with focus forget the glass sitting right next to them. Visibility beats every good intention here. When water is placed in a walkway instead of hidden in the kitchen, people reach for it automatically.

Placement determines impact A water station in the right spot – in the hallway, at a meeting point, next to the printer – becomes a casual ritual. Carafes and glasses are more inviting than a dispenser. A few slices of lemon or some mint turn an obligation into a small treat. It's not about staging an effect, but about making the healthy choice the easiest one.

The smallest lever with the greatest reach Hardly any measure reliably reaches truly everyone in the company. It requires no sign-up, no participation, no explanation – it simply stands there and works. As an entry point into the topic of nutrition, it's ideal because it lectures no one while still sending a clear signal: health is being looked after here.

How to put it in place

  1. 1
    Get a glass carafe and glasses (approx. €15)
  2. 2
    Buy fruit/vegetables: cucumber, lemon, mint, berries
  3. 3
    Set up the station in the kitchen with a sign "BGF Water Bar"
  4. 4
    Rotating responsibility: a different person refills it each day
  5. 5
    Optional: add a recipe card

What you need

Effort
under 30 min
Cost
Free
Setup
15 min
  • Under €20 startup cost
  • Daily touchpoint for everyone
  • Immediately visible
  • Easy to maintain long-term

Eligible for funding: up to €600 tax-free

As part of a structured workplace health process, this measure is tax-free under § 3 no. 34 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) up to €600 per employee per year — BGF-Kompass supplies the process. Certified offers (e.g. from Upfit) are additionally subsidised by statutory health insurers under § 20b SGB V.

Health-insurer funding & tax: how to apply →
Ideal to start with

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Contributes to

Establish healthy food offeringsIncrease participation rate in BGF measures

Measure the impact with

Ernährungs-Puls (Kurzbefragung)

Action field

Nutrition

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BGF-Kompass covers German workplace health promotion (BGF): funding paths, figures and legal references (e.g. § 20b SGB V, § 3 No. 34 EStG, the statutory-health-insurer prevention guidelines) apply to Germany.