The government is said to be reconsidering its anti-obesity measures in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis, something which has been described by campaigners as “a national scandal”.
While the ideas make economic sense given that food inflation is running at 13.1% and households are struggling to make ends meet, it should be remembered that obesity contributes to approximately 64,000 deaths a year in England alone.
Of course, there’s also a growing expectation that businesses should encourage their staff members to exercise. But, how it benefits a business?
What are the Benefits of Encouraging Employees to Exercise?
While it may take some effort, strategy, and alternative investment to promote health within the workforce (we’ll touch more on this below), it delivers numerous benefits and a win-win scenario for all parties involved.
Crucially, it reduces the risk of employees enduring a sedentary lifestyle, which is particularly commonplace in office spaces nationwide. This creates much higher levels of physical fitness and mental wellbeing, which in turn optimise productivity over time and minimise the impact of absenteeism in the workplace.
Absenteeism remains a major burden on the UK economy, while it’s thought to incur health-related productivity losses of more than £100 billion annually. So, maintaining a healthier workforce will translate into immediate cash savings for firms, while improving wider economic performance in the process.
As we’ve touched on, there’s also a tangible link between physical and mental wellbeing, so encouraging higher and more consistent levels of fitness can help employees to maintain a more positive state of mind.
Given that some 33% of employees report moderate-to-high levels of workplace stress at one time or another (resulting in one of the main contributors to absence), placing an emphasis on health could see companies boosted considerably within a relatively short space of time.
How Can You Encourage Employees to Exercise?
There are various ways in which you can encourage employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle, starting with the direct incentives widely used by businesses.
For example, businesses often partner with local gymnasiums to offer discounted memberships to their staff members, making it easier for employees to get fit without spending so much of their hard-earned wages.
Other initiatives include the so-called “cycle to work” scheme, which is government backed and provides a cost-effective way for employees to get cycling equipment.
You can apply to participate as an employer, which means that benefitting parties won’t have to pay any associated costs and national insurance on such products. This can trigger savings of up to 48% on average, while having the additional advantage of reducing the number of cars on the road and keeping individual employees fitter.
Of course, a commonly asked question is “what happens if an employee gets injured when cycling to work?”. This is an excellent question, and it’s worth liaising with a qualified legal expert (either external or in-house) to check your legal rights and obligations before implementing this or similar schemes.
It also helps if you buy into such initiatives as a successful entrepreneur and lead by example while creating a culture of health and wellbeing within the business.