Helping employees adopt an active lifestyle supports a company’s bottom line. The diverse business sectors across the globe document this claim. But why might active employees present such an advantage – – What happens when we increase our level of physical activity?
It’s difficult to isolate just one benefit. Physical activity improves so many bodily functions, after all! These include better immune function and higher cardiovascular fitness, to name a few. Plus, regular exercise protects against many chronic conditions.
Working out regularly outs deliver mental health benefits. This may be the most important factor in what gives active employees the edge in demanding work environments. In faced-paced careers, mental health issues can become more prevalent if employees do not have a healthy way to cope. Studies suggest that mental health issues reduce employee wellbeing as well as the quality of their work.
Studies demonstrate the when employees embrace exercise, their mental health improves. Better mental functioning can help them to cope with daily stress much better.
It’s no secret that employees often incur work-related stress as they navigate their careers. The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health indicates that almost 60% of US employees endure “extreme job stress” while on the clock. Often this occurs due to a mismatch between the employees capabilities and their responsibilities, and this harms employee wellbeing and physical health.
Some level of unscheduled employee absences is unavoidable, with the the top reasons being illness or family issues. But these absences often shift the workload to others, reducing morale and job satisfaction for others on the team. One study estimates that “if illness-related absenteeism were a line item on a company’s profit and loss statement, the cost would exceed 15% of the profits.” Organizational growth hinges on employee cooperation and task completion, so studies have evaluated how absenteeism varies based on activity levels. The result? As you may expect, work absenteeism is significantly lower “among physically active than among inactive persons.”
A 2018 study found that compared to those who are moderately active, inactive employees have a 27% higher occurrence of long-term absence due to sickness. Risk of long-term absences was highest in sedentary individuals, with an annual average of 5 fewer absences in the moderately active, and 12.5 fewer absences among the highly active employees.
Employee career trajectories and activity behaviors were assessed over 4 years, and the results suggest that turnover was related to an individual’s typical exercise habits. This relationship was even stronger in females. The researchers conclude that “the probability of continued employment among exercisers was significantly greater than among non-exercisers.”
One’s ability to stick with regular exercise may correlate to how well they perform job duties, according to published studies. “A strong association was observed between above-average performance and increasing levels of exercise adherence.” This study did not correlate exercise and better work performance. Even if correlational, however, there may be common psychological factors between motivation for physical activity and motivation to complete work-related tasks each day.
The issue of how to best support employee activity levels is a challenge. It has been emphasized in published research since the 1970s! Employer initiatives that support physical activity do improve exercise adherence. What will work for your organization hinges on your company culture and initial interest.
Several approaches show promise:
As Treo’s Global Wellness Researcher, Karlie uses recent research findings to support healthier daily habits. Karlie earned her doctorate in Neuroscience and Behavior and bachelors in Health and Exercise Science.
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