Get Your Motor Running - The Benefits of Exercise at Work

At-Work Exercise Programs Need Not be Complex

It’s no secret – people want to know that their employers really do care about their well being.  One effective way, with countless benefits to both employer and employee, is to institute an exercise program.  Whether you’re a small office of 20 or a large corporation employing thousands, giving your employees an opportunity to benefit from some much-needed exercise can go a long way to having happier, healthier workers.

Many larger corporations (even some smaller ones) have found that by providing an exercise room for employees to use freely, whether during breaks or before and after work hours, their health care costs go down and productivity goes up.  But you need not heat up the office credit card to build a state-of-the-art gym.  Sometimes the simple approach is the most effective.  Consider implementing stretching exercise breaks throughout the workday.

For just a few minutes once or twice daily, encourage everyone to stand up and go through simple stretching exercises.  If you’re able to do them as a group, all the better – especially in factory and office situations where employees may be required to sit down for most of their workday.  Companies who consider stretching breaks as a necessary part of the day most often report that their workers enjoy and appreciate the opportunity, and productivity increases after even just a 3 – 5 minute break.  Health care costs also decrease, since simple stretching exercises have a way of reducing work-related injury.  You may even discover that your employees enjoy the exercises so much that they participate in other physical activities even after the workday is done.

More than likely you already have an exercise expert right in your building.  The proper exercise program can be as simple as asking the marathon runner in accounting or the yoga practitioner on the factory floor to spearhead the project. If there’s no one available where you work, consider consulting with a local gym or YMCA.  Tell them what type of exercises you’d like to use, and ask them to help you set up the right stretches for your work environment.

You may also want to add some before- or after-work activities, such as bringing in a yoga or tai chi instructor.  Ask your employees for input as to which they might prefer, then call some local martial arts and yoga schools in the area to see if they have an instructor or advanced student who would be able to come in once or twice a week – even every day  - to lead a class.  

Whether you go all out with an office gym and an early morning yoga class, or if you simply opt for two 3-minute stretching breaks, you’ll quickly notice all the benefits of exercise programs at work.  Everyone will feel more energized and healthy, and there’s no doubt your employees will recognize that their company really does care about their well being.  That may be the biggest benefit of them all.