
Workplace Health: The Big Issue
2 years after gaining my BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science degree and I’m living the suit and office life. 8+ hours a day of being sat down in front of my laptop screen sending emails and creating reports. Fortunately, I planted roots early with regards to my attitude towards nutrition and exercise. Therefore, I am half disciplined enough to get myself to the gym before work most mornings and I’m fully aware of what’s in the food I’m eating; both of these allow to maintain a healthy weight.
I can’t ignore looking around the offices I work in and notice the large number of my colleagues who are overweight, have specialist chairs and just look downright unmotivated. Interestingly, a lot of these people I see tend to be browsing the internet or sat on their phones for longer periods of time. It’s not just me multiple studies have highlighted that overweight workers are less productive and take, on average, 4 more days’ sick leave than other employees.
I will be honest, at first I used to just think these people were lazy and undisciplined. However, I have slowly gained some perspective; I’m just lucky. Firstly, at 23, I’m on average 20 years younger than 90% of the people I work with. I also have a background in exercise and a keen interest in nutrition and training. My colleagues have families to care for most probably haven’t exercised regularly for most of their lives and therefore lack the habitual motivation to exercise. For anyone in a similar situation, you will know just how hard it is to change this mind-set.
Let’s be realistic. Once most of us are done with work at 17:30, we are exhausted. We want to get home and see our families, eat our dinner, relax and prepare ourselves to do this all over again the next morning. It’s a vicious cycle until the god send that is a Friday afternoon for which we unwind in the pub with our friends and families our shut down for 2 days in front of the television. However much we might want to, we just don’t make time for exercise.
Before we start blaming let’s make this clear, it is the individuals responsibility alone to ensure they exercise. However, let’s also keep in mind that we spend a third of our days at work, it is the employer’s responsibility to accommodate a healthy work environment. Yet, what do employers do? They encourage us to sit for hours on end answering emails and attend meetings that go through lunch breaks; they expect you to be available every minute of the working day. Nowadays, those who work longer than everyone else are put on a pedestal and are praised. Health just isn’t a priority for the business. It’s often an issue that is acknowledged by HR but never actually acted upon. Funnily, health (or lack thereof) is costing businesses millions. On average, per 1000 employees within a company, obesity costs £126,000 a year in lost productivity. . A business would rather explore options of redundancy than the long-term investment of their employees’ health that would simultaneously increase productivity, reduce costs (on both the business and NHS) and create an overall healthier working environment.
This unhealthy culture of work needs to change. We are entering a new age and I have a strong vision of what a work environment should look like. Imagine the change in energy of the work place where instead of sitting, we stand and walk. Instead of uncomfortable suits, we are in shorts and trainers. Instead of a working lunch, we have a dedicated time slot for food and exercise. Instead of a lethargic and unmotivated work force, employees are motivated and focused on self-development. Instead of being focused on just delivery their work, their culture has them actively engaging and collaborating with each other.
We underestimate the power of health. We as individuals are fully responsible. But employers also have the responsibility to provide the tools and culture to facilitate our health.
