Top 5 Reasons to Utilize Walking Meetings in the Workplace
Ancient Greek philosophers from Aristotle to poets like Wordsworth walked and talked and were the initiators of the first undefined “walking meetings.” In today’s culture. meetings where colleagues and managers get up, go walking, and discuss workplace projects are becoming more commonplace. Not only do these meetings promote physical health, they also provide a viable opportunity for team building in unusual and interesting indoor and outdoor environments. Consider these top five reasons why you should implement walking meetings today.
1. Develops Healthy Lifestyles
Healthy employees are more productive at work. Making walking meetings part of the workplace culture can turn the tide and inspire employees to develop a healthy lifestyle. Walking meetings benefit employees by reducing their risk of heart disease and dementia, and can improve their mood. So, think outside the box and give your employees the opportunity to develop a healthy lifestyle by participating in walking meetings at work. Your employees will become healthier and your workplace will be more productive.
2. Enhances Workplace Communication
Effective communication is a key ingredient to a successful workplace. Physical activity, like walking, improves the blood flow to the brain and augments neural activity. That enhancement will enable employees to communicate more effectively with each other at work. Having more focused employees who can efficiently communicate thoughts and ideas will help revolutionize your company culture. Walking meetings can also develop the discipline of enhanced communication among your employees.
3. Improves Energy Levels
Having energy is a vital factor in how well employees move through the workday. Putting walking meetings into action in the workplace is an effective way to naturally increase their energy levels. Getting employees up from their desks, interacting with colleagues, and participating in walking excursions to discuss projects, will improve their energy levels. They’ll thrive during the day instead of simply barely surviving the hours at work. As their energy levels increase, so will their excitement for participating in important work discussions.
4. Cultivates Deeper Creativity
The late co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, have used walking meetings to stir up a deeper level of creativity among their employees. It doesn’t matter whether the meetings are held indoors or outdoors. The actual act of walking is what can inspire the genesis of fresh ideas. Amp up the creativity in your team members by having a brainstorming session on the move. You can take idea generation to a whole new level.
5. Reinforces Team Unity
Walking meetings have the power to reinforce team unity. Whenever you spend more time with someone, you will likely get to know them better. Getting employees up from their desks, onto their feet, and interacting with colleagues in motion organically enhances their working relationships. They’ll feel much more relaxed and able to trust each other. That generation of trust will enable them to more freely share ideas and support each other as you all work together toward accomplishing great things.
Holding walking meetings will show your employees that you are open to new ideas and want to foster team work. They’ll see that you hope to develop a strong company culture that is able to dream big and make things happen.
