Nov 07, 2016 03:13 AM EST By Emily Marks, UniversityHerald Reporter

Arianna Huffington has shared the secret on how to have a productive workforce. It would be good for employers and employees alike to check out these tips in order to ultimately become the best that they can be.

Prior to creating The Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington, formerly known as Arianna Stassinopolous, fell in love with famed British journalist Henry Bernard Levin at 21 years old. In the years that followed, she would be mentored by her lover. She then moved to New York City at 30 and proceeded to create one of the biggest online news aggregators in the United States.

Currently, Arianna Huffington has been vocal about her new endeavor, Thrive Global, which helps people become more productive. According to Fortune, her newest initiative teaches a simple premise: that a happy, well-rested worker is a better worker.

In an interview by David Agus, a professor at the University of Southern California, during a dinner session at the publication's Brainstorm Health conference, Agus and Huffington talked about Thrive Global. They had a discussion about its mission, which is to teach consumers and corporations about how to achieve well-being through the reduction of stress and exhaustion.

While there are some who question whether corporate wellness programs are actually effective, Arianna Huffington's method is simpler than the usual approaches. The former editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post believes that getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night, spending less time with smartphones as well as looking out for one's general happiness are all beneficial to improving productivity in the workforce.

Huffington talked about how she looks up to Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini, who had a 180-degree turn in his life after facing a major skiing injury and getting addicted to painkillers. The health insurance giant CEO pursued alternative methods such as yoga and acupuncture to deal with pain, instead of using painkillers, and promoted the practices to his employees.

"And then he brought in Duke University to measure the impact," Huffington said. "And in the first year, they found a 7 percent reduction in health care costs and a 62-minute improvement in productivity. That was really game-changing, and a lot of companies paid attention."

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