Move More and Sit Less & Save £££ for your Business

The dangers of sitting for extended periods of time have never been more apparent; as currently many people will sit at work for up to 8 hours!

Some of the health dangers of sitting for a long period of time include a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and also obesity, as enzymes responsible for fat burning get shut off when sat for too long.

Start breaking up your sitting time with activity to avoid the detrimental effects of sitting for too long. Here are some tips for how to move more and sit less at work:

1. Walk over and talk to colleagues to deliver the message in person
2. Move your rubbish bin away from your desk
3. Stand to greet a visitor or when conversing with a colleague
4. Stand up while talking on the telephone or mobile phone
5. Stand while sorting and filing paperwork

Environmental Level

1. Sit-stand height-adjustable workstations or desks introduced to the office
2. Standing tables in communal areas, canteens and meeting rooms
3. Indoor and outdoor walking paths or trails
4. Central water stations, printers and bins
5. Footsteps directing towards the stairs

Social Level

1. Establish a lunchtime walking group
2. Take part in local team based activities and events
3. Social networking for sharing experiences and ideas on moving more and sitting less

Policy Level

1. Establish standing and walking meetings as a part of workplace policy
2. Place office equipment and supplies further away as a part of workplace policy
3. Move printers and bins to a more central location as a part of workplace policy
4. Empower employees to move more in and around the working day with a flexible working policy

See if you can avoid sitting for longer than an hour a day!

The Economic Saving of Physical Activity to you Business

The effect of physical inactivity on the economy has never been more apparent. Active workplaces are more productive- engagement in physical activity interventions alone has demonstrated reductions in absenteeism by 30-50%. Currently, we're losing on average 4.4 days (approximately cost of £975) per employee each year nationally.

Increasing physical activity in your workplace can change this, as regular bite-sized chunks of 10 minutes of activity during the working day can improve team morale, create a more productive workplace and reduce sick days.

Workplace Challenge has been working with Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland businesses for the past five years and with most experiencing high levels of absenteeism, some reaching peaks of 12 days per employee. They aim to significantly reduce this number.

Set your business a sickness saving target by following these steps:

Step 1: Calculate the number of people in your company e.g. 100 people.

Step 2: Calculate the average wage per day per employee e.g. £107 per person per day.

Step 3: Calculate the average number of sick days currently taken per year in your business e.g. 5.31 days (national average) taken as sick leave.

Step 4: Multiply step 1 by step 2 by step 3 to calculate the total cost of sickness absence in your business e.g. 100 people x £107 x 5.31 = £56,817 is the cost of time lost at work due to sickness absence.

Step 5: Take the total cost to your business (step 4) and divide by the total number of sick days (step 3) to find out how much your business could save by reducing one sickness day per employee per year e.g. £56,817 ÷ 5.31 = £10,700 saving!

Sign up your workplace today- let's get everyone moving more!

Source: (Workplace Challenge, 2017)