Humans are built to move. Our ancestors were hunters and gatherers, travelling far and wide to find food and security. Even when people began to build settlements, most people remained active, spending most of their waking hours on the go. It is only over the last century or so that significantly more jobs have required limited movement. Due to technological advances, millions now spend hours sitting in the same spot staring at a screen, something the body is not designed to do.
This shift to a more sedentary lifestyle has profound implications for our health. For example, our metabolism is designed to work most effectively when we are active. Studies have shown that those who are inactive have significantly worse metabolic health. This means they are at higher risk of conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke. In addition to this, being inactive is also associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
It is not just physical health which can be improved with movement, it can also be extremely beneficial for mental health too. Exercise can help regulate stress hormones, such as cortisol, while releasing neurotransmitters throughout the nervous system, which increase sensations of pleasure. These are responsible for the afterglow people often feel following exercise.
The movement conundrum
So, all evidence suggests that active people are healthier and happier. These are exactly the people that most employers would want in their businesses – people with energy and enthusiasm to get the job done. However, many workplaces have evolved to actively discourage people from moving.
Despite the rise in hybrid and remote working, this hasn’t led to an increase in activity. 78% of employers are using software to digitally track their employees[1], making sure they are working on their devices throughout the working day, discouraging them from taking regular breaks. Without the daily commute, many people have no reason to leave their desks throughout the day. Evidence suggest that remote workers have longer working days[2], making them even more sedentary than they were before.
Ill-health on the rise
There are now 3.7 million working-age people in the UK with health conditions that are ‘work limiting’. This has increased by more than 2 million in the last decade[3] and the trend looks to be continuing upwards. By 2040, more than 9 million people, a significant proportion of which will be of working-age are projected to be living with a major illness[4].
Keeping employees healthy and at work is a major concern for employers. As workers struggle to access healthcare via an NHS under unprecedented pressure, increasing numbers have begun to offer private medical benefits. However, this has also fuelled a sharp rise in cost, increasing by about 25% in the last year[5], making it unaffordable for many.
It is vital that employers explore other avenues to support better workplace health, concentrating on preventing conditions rather than treatment. A simple, yet effective way to do this is to encourage employees to be more active.
How can employers encourage more movement?
Schemes to encourage employees to be physically active are not new. However, many initiatives tend to be based around a specific event, making a short-term difference but not leading to change in habits or working norms that lead to long-term benefits.
They can also be pitched at too high a level, centred around epic events such as running or marathon or completing a 100-kilometre bike ride. For someone, who does no regular exercise and only does a few thousand steps a day, these seem like an impossible challenge. These people feel totally excluded from the initiative and it is those that already do regular exercise that take them on, therefore having only a limited benefit to workplace health.
Simple adjustments to create a more active workforce
There are many things organisations can do to get their employees moving. The most effective ones will reflect the makeup and interests of the workforce, building on tendencies that already exist and amplifying them, rather than trying to create new ones from scratch. Here are just a few ideas:
- Introducing sit/stand desks which allow employees to easily change their positions throughout the day
- Walking meetings, these can be particularly effective for one-to-one catch ups or for meetings to generate new ideas
- Choose one day a week to promote walking at lunchtime, for example Walking Wednesdays, when it’s convenient for employees to get together and get active
- Link up with local providers to offer different types of classes onsite. These provide employees with a chance to try new things and if they prove popular can become a regular fixture
- Day passes to local gyms – for some, signing up for a whole month feels like too big a commitment. Offering shorter, taster sessions is both more affordable and less daunting.
- Get employees involved – while having one active champion might work for some organisations, spreading the responsibility across social groups or rotating it between different departments might work for others, depending on their size and culture.
- “TNT” – Try New Things. This is an initiative we have used at Epassi which has been really popular. So far, the team have tried Walking Rugby at the local rugby club, duck herding, orienteering, yoga, table tennis, badminton (all through local clubs) and through Total Active Hub we had a walking challenge called the Great Big Walk.
Whatever you introduce, to really make a difference, being active needs to be encouraged and facilitated. It needs to become part of the organisation’s culture, supported by senior leaders and line managers. Employees must feel making time to take part in an activity is not viewed as slacking off but something that will benefit them, both physically and mentally. It must be supported by company policies and procedures. For example, encouraging employees not to send emails out of normal hours or contact colleagues while on holiday will reinforce the importance placed on downtime and give employees the time to be more active.
References
[1] Why 78% Of Employers Are Sacrificing Employee Trust By Spying On Them
[2] Home workers putting in more hours since Covid, research shows | Working from home | The Guardian
[3] What we know about the UK’s working-age health challenge – The Health Foundation
[4] Surge in ill health will have major impact on NHS – BBC News
[5] Private healthcare insurance costs rising as record numbers pay for treatment | The Independent