A Treadmill in Every Cube?
Employees who exercise during the workday have higher productivity, energy and morale, according to a recent survey.
In the survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation and Steelcase, a leading /office environments manufacturer, 78% of employees said that exercise increases their work productivity, 80% said that exercise boosts their overall well being and 85% said that exercise gives ‘em energy to stay awake.
The problem is that 62% of employees say they don’t have an appropriate place to exercise at work.
“Exercise is critical to our health and well being, and it is very easy to let fitness fall by the wayside when working in a corporate environment with demanding schedules and workloads,” said Chris Congdon, Steelcase’s manager of corporate marketing. According to Congdon, the survey shows that employees want “access to exercise equipment at work, and/or support from their companies to exercise during the work day, which could also benefit corporations with a desire to improve worker satisfaction, wellness and productivity.”
Employers don’t have to provide a full-scale gym to promote exercise. In fact, 85% of employees say that their #1 form of exercise is walking. Just encourage employees to walk the halls, take the stairs or go outside and stroll the neighborhood.
If you consider adding equipment, the treadmill tops the employee wish list, with 59% of employees naming it as their top choice. Here’s an excellent video tutorial that offers creative suggestions for incorporating treadmills into your work environment:
