The Physiology and Importance of Motion at the Workplace

An article published by Wellness and Prevention, Inc. outlines an interesting approach to connect employee wellness to their engagement at the work place.  Using documented research done in sport psychology, they studied the effectiveness of having "breaks" at the workplace.  These "breaks" consist of 1-2 minute bouts of vigorous exercise every 30 minutes that an employee stays seated.  They tested this theory at a New Balance firm and reported marked results:  Employees felt increased energy levels along with an enhanced ability to focus.  As a result, 82% of participating employees made changes that they would likely continue.  Because of employee feedback their increased productivity, New Balance is lengthening the study by 90 days and including an extra 350 employees.  


This article does lack some evidence beyond the self-reporting of employees (which is very subjective), but I have heard of this new theory put into practice at other worksites with some impressive results.  If you have a sedentary workforce, take a look at putting this theory into practice.  If your workforce is fairly active (like mine), utilizing this strategy during meetings could improve the effectiveness of that meeting.  Just another snippet of proof that workplace wellness increases employee productivity, engagement and effectiveness!