Healthy Workers are More Productive
Starting and maintaining an active lifestyle is a passion businesses need to share with their employees. And with good reason: active employees are happier, healthier, and often more productive. A healthy work environment improves productivity, decreases turnover and absenteeism, and reduces health-care costs. Here are some stats:
- Healthy employees took 9 times fewer sick days than workers with poor health
- The healthiest employees were nearly 3 times more productive than those with poorer heath (Australasian Business Intelligence)
- Fit workers make 60% fewer errors on jobs involving concentration and short-term memory (Swedish researcher)
- Vigorous exercise (such as cycling to work) improved mental alertness and productivity for four to five hours afterwards (New England Journal of Medicine)
- Employees who exercised as infrequently as once a week reduced their average number of sick days in half-from more than 10 days in the previous year to less than five sick days (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine)
Fight Healthcare by Caring for Your Health
Staying fit not only improves employee productivity, but it helps control rapidly rising health care costs. With rising health insurance rates and the push to do more with less, the health of workers is becoming a pivotal piece in any company's productivity.
- 70% of health care costs are for preventable lifestyle diseases (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention)
- 50% of American adults are not physically active—putting them at higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention)
Ideas for a Healthier Workplace
Here are some ideas you can suggest to your company for creating a healthier workforce:
- Provide cash or equipment incentives for people to commute by bike
- Provide bike racks, lockers and showers
- Give away bikes in sales competitions or employee recognition programs
- Offer a "free ride home" service in case of bad weather
- Have a common vehicle available for employees to use at work for work-related errands
- Encourage workers to walk around the neighborhood or take a bike ride during lunch
- Have meetings in remote conference rooms that require employees to walk
- Offer classes in aerobics or other activities that promote health and reduce stress
- Make sure vending machines are stocked with healthful alternatives to junk food
When it comes to starting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, sometimes the workplace is the best place to start.
