Exercise at work can improve your productivity and focus
As the nation continues to wage what appears to be a losing war on obesity, it turns out that a paltry 31 percent of American office workers exercise during work hours. This does not mean that they do not exercise during their off hours, though it’s probably unlikely.
Steelcase, a global office environments manufacturer, recently released the results of its "Workplace Index Survey on the Nature of Work in 2007." The study surveyed 700 American office workers and examined the role companies play in encouraging employee fitness, the importance of fitness in the workplace, and the impact that fitness has on productivity levels overall.
One third of the respondents to the survey reported that they have access to fitness equipment provided by their employer or that they work in an environment that promotes fitness. But regardless of whether or not they work in such fitness oriented environments, 80 percent of workers polled said that exercise has or would have a positive impact on their well being, and 78 percent of respondents indicated that exercise has or would have a positive impact on their overall productivity at work.
Provided that these results represent the opinions and potential actions of most American office workers, companies that invest in and support exercise at work may reap great returns on investment in the form of increased productivity.
The benefits that consistent exercise provides are very well documented. Exercise helps increase a person’s energy levels and increases overall metabolism. It also helps people lose weight. These three benefits alone are instrumental to increasing productivity in today’s sit-in-front-of-my-computer workplace.
Implementing workplace exercise programs and/or investing in workplace exercise facilities can also help employees effectively manage their work/ life balance. By providing employees with a certain amount of time to exercise, they will not only become more efficient and productive as their frame of mind and ability to focus at work improves, but they will also eliminate an activity that may have otherwise eaten away at their time off the job. And working out with coworkers can provide employees with additional motivation to get in shape and stay healthy.
What employers should realize is that by motivating their employees to exercise, they can dramatically reduce their employee health care costs in the long term. As employees become healthier, they will lose less overall workdays to illness, and will likely spend less time at the doctor’s office. As a result, companies will save money because individuals will work more, they will be more productive and focused, and because employees will spend less time at the doctor, the overall cost of employee health care plans is likely to go down.
Steelcase, a global office environments manufacturer, recently released the results of its "Workplace Index Survey on the Nature of Work in 2007." The study surveyed 700 American office workers and examined the role companies play in encouraging employee fitness, the importance of fitness in the workplace, and the impact that fitness has on productivity levels overall.
One third of the respondents to the survey reported that they have access to fitness equipment provided by their employer or that they work in an environment that promotes fitness. But regardless of whether or not they work in such fitness oriented environments, 80 percent of workers polled said that exercise has or would have a positive impact on their well being, and 78 percent of respondents indicated that exercise has or would have a positive impact on their overall productivity at work.
Provided that these results represent the opinions and potential actions of most American office workers, companies that invest in and support exercise at work may reap great returns on investment in the form of increased productivity.
The benefits that consistent exercise provides are very well documented. Exercise helps increase a person’s energy levels and increases overall metabolism. It also helps people lose weight. These three benefits alone are instrumental to increasing productivity in today’s sit-in-front-of-my-computer workplace.
Implementing workplace exercise programs and/or investing in workplace exercise facilities can also help employees effectively manage their work/ life balance. By providing employees with a certain amount of time to exercise, they will not only become more efficient and productive as their frame of mind and ability to focus at work improves, but they will also eliminate an activity that may have otherwise eaten away at their time off the job. And working out with coworkers can provide employees with additional motivation to get in shape and stay healthy.
What employers should realize is that by motivating their employees to exercise, they can dramatically reduce their employee health care costs in the long term. As employees become healthier, they will lose less overall workdays to illness, and will likely spend less time at the doctor’s office. As a result, companies will save money because individuals will work more, they will be more productive and focused, and because employees will spend less time at the doctor, the overall cost of employee health care plans is likely to go down.
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