It is something that is not necessarily the focus of our business plans, however, we must recognize that for a business to function at its optimum, we’ve got to help employees look after their health and well-being. Physical health is something that is not just going to benefit them but benefits the business. This is why it’s critical to help them tap into the potential of being physically active.
It Helps When There’s a Commuting Problem
There are going to be times when employees need to get their boots on and walk to the office, for example, a snow day that is impacting the traffic. So when you are using a snow removal company to clear up the roads around the building, the employee can still make their way in and they won’t need time to recover so they can get to work. Those types of days, when employees cannot rely on their daily commute, can always benefit from people being more physically healthy. A lot of employees can commute via bike, and it might benefit you to incentivize this active commuting.
It Will Improve Their Productivity
There’s a lot that’s been said about the detrimental effects of sitting down all day and there are many health organizations that equate sitting down to smoking. The important thing to remember is that if you have physically active employees, they are going to be productive because their mental functions improve, and they are also going to benefit outside of work.
Physical health increases strength and reduces the risk of illnesses, but it can also help employees manage stress, which is critical to ensuring that you are not piling up pressure on your employees. When our business demands employees push themselves more, you can tell the difference between those that are not looking after themselves because it becomes more of a struggle. You can start to implement simple things in the workplace, such as encouraging walking meetings, implementing standing desks, or incentivizing lunchtime running or walking clubs. The reality is you don’t need to invest in a gym on-site to gain the benefits of increased fitness.
It Will Help in Real Emergencies
Physically adept employee benefit in a number of different ways. When there is an emergency, a physically fit employee is going to be able to do more to help out. In an emergency like a fire, an employee can help people towards the door quicker, especially when it’s life or death. As an employer, you may want to recognize the more physically fit employees and give them more responsibility, for example, developing their skills in basic life support that can help in a life-or-death situation in the office.
However, you’ve got to get the balance right and make sure that you’re not rewarding employees for being physically fit and punishing those that are not. Ultimately, it’s something that’s supposed to benefit everyone, and there will be employees that don’t like the idea of getting physically fit, but it’s critical that you make it a part of the culture of your organization. When you start to promote physical fitness, it can only benefit your business.