The benefits of exercising are vast, but when it comes to work, staying active can increase productivity, relieve stress, boost confidence, and improve focus. All of the above are the prime ingredients for success, both for short and long-term. If you already have active employees, you’ve probably seen the benefits, but If you haven’t, you should start incorporating physical activities into your working strategy. Find out how you can encourage your workforce to be more active in the workplace. 

Create A Space For Exercising

The equation goes something like this: a productive workforce equals an effective organisation, which in effect, can result in higher profits. 

In order to achieve this, your office space needs to accommodate an active working style. Without the right environment, it’ll be tough to motivate your workers to be more active. So besides using office interior design best practices, you need to have a designated space for exercising. This room doesn’t need to be big, but make sure it has enough space for your workers to move. 

Exercising doesn’t always mean an intense workout. Simple exercises like stretching and basic yoga, if done regularly, can make as big of an impact as a strenuous workout.  What’s important is that you get your body moving and blood flowing. 

Experts recommend doing at least 150 hours of moderate exercise per week. As busy as you can get due to working, you can spread out the activities throughout the week. 

Include Exercise Programs In Your Office Culture

The next important way to help encourage your workforce to stay active is to have physical activities embedded in your working culture. 

You can set up monthly or even weekly exercise programs. If you have enough room in the office, great! But if you don’t, the outdoors, in many cases, is even better. Fresh air is essential for a healthy lung, and of course, the sun has ample goodness for our body, including vitamin D. 

Moreover, group activities are not only fun but can also strengthen bonds. This can significantly help create a more solid team to achieve better results. 

It’s also a good idea to offer free or co-paid gym membership as one of the perks for working in your company. Employees will likely be more likely to go to the gym and exercise if they know it’s for free. Contact fitness centers and gyms around your office and see if you can work with them and make a good deal. 

Lastly,  include different working methods in your workplace. For instance, holding walking meetings instead of the traditional sitting meetings during some days of the week. 

Offer Different Workstations

Another helpful step to take is to provide a variety of office furniture systems. For example, rather than having only the traditional office desks and chairs, equip your office with some standing tables and desks. This will allow your employee to move and stand up instead of sitting down for hours, glued to their chairs.

Sitting for hours is known to be bad for the health, in particular the body. It can cause major back pain and neck injuries. Furthermore, sitting for too long gives you a higher chance of getting metabolic problems. So make sure you reduce the hours sitting down by switching working stations from time to time. 

Teach Simple Exercises 

In addition to group programs, promote simple exercises that your employees can individually do from the comfort of their working stations. This is especially useful if your workforce has a hectic week working on assignments and big projects. 

Provide simple instructions, similar to that you’ve probably seen in the airplane–a small manual guide on how to stretch and move during a long flight. For Instance, you can use the edge of the table to do tricep dips, chairs to do seated calf raises, or even arm curls using a simple water bottle. Remember, doing small exercises is better than no physical activities at all. 

Looking after your workforce doesn’t only come from providing them with good wages and consistent work but also by maintaining good health through exercising. Healthy employees have high morale and will certainly have positive effects on your business. 

Contact SORDC to help you with your office space planning so that your workplace can accommodate an active working style as part of your office interior design for you and your employees!