Exercise for employees

In einem sind sich Chefs und Mitarbeiter einig: Körperliche Fitness erhöht Wohlbefinden und Leistungsfähigkeit. Wann aber soll man trainieren? Carol Scheunemann hat da einige Vorschläge.

A healthy work-place

Most people agree that good health and fitness can help them deal with the demands of modern business life. Yet these demands also make it increasingly difficult to shape up and to stay fit. Employees are often trapped at their desks for hours, are served unhealthy food in the cafeteria, and are offered cigarettes, sugary drinks, and junk food in vending machines.

At the same time, employers face increased absenteeism, loss of productivity, and a dramatic rise in health-care costs. A number of illnesses, such as obesity and heart disease, are linked to poor diet and lack of physical activity. “Employers do not want to be part of the problem,” says LuAnn Heinen from the National Business Group on Health in Washington, DC. “Obesity costs U.S. firms more than $13 billion a year. I think the companies feel this cost is at least partially preventable by changes in lifestyle. So we are looking at the role of fitness programs in helping to foster a healthier workplace and a healthier employee.”

In Britain, studies show that individuals who are inactive are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack as active people. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) National Centre focuses on avoiding heart disease, and helps firms set up fitness programs. Lisa Purcell, BHF project manager for the workplace, says it isn’t enough to inform employees about the dangers of an inactive lifestyle: “I think a lot of people feel that health risks are somewhere down the road. They are going to be more convinced by seeing an improvement in their own quality of life. For example, you notice that you sleep better after exercise. You can feel the benefit that week or that evening.”