The importance of exercise to our overall health is a well understood topic – there have been decades of research and thousands of studies done to support the idea that movement is a key element to living a long, healthy and happy life. So much so that researchers began to wonder, if exercise is so beneficial to personal health, what can it do for the workplace?
Over the last several years, many studies have looked into how exercise and mental health programs benefit employees during the workday; and in addition, what the outcomes are for the corporations who provide these types of programs for their employees. It’s no real surprise that the research shows many benefits of wellness programs in the workplace. In fact, companies who provide employee wellness programs and provide support for healthy activities, both during company time and after hours, have seen many positive outcomes.
« For companies, wellness programs have been shown to boast an average return on investment (ROI) of about 3:1. Outside of the direct financial gains, companies have seen reductions in employee absenteeism, staff turnover and employee stress.” (source)
What can you do today to introduce wellness into the workplace?
- Start a walking club
- Reward employees for tracking steps or time spent exercising
- Hot a yoga class or light boot camp session during the lunch hour
- Provide spaces in the office for quiet reflection or meditation
Does your workplace encourage workplace wellness?
Comment below and tell us what you do at work to promote wellness or tweet us @StaplesBusAdv.
