How unhealthy is your office?

We all know that an unhealthy lifestyle is bad for our health, both mentally and physically. But can it harm our productivity at work? We all take great care to eat healthy and exercise regularly at home, with various diets and training regimes, along with the somewhat elusive gym membership. But according to new research this focus on health in the home isn’t being transferred to the work place.

45% of workers surveyed by AXA PPP Healthcare admitted they don’t meet the NHS guideline of 30 minutes of exercise per day, five times a week. Lets just let that statistic sink in. Just under half of all people surveyed say they don’t or can’t exercise for thirty minutes on a regular basis. What is thirty minutes exercise? A quick run, maybe a short stint at the gym or a brisk walk during our lunch hour.

Perception and lack of time were the main reasons given as to why people are not reaching the guideline of 30 minutes exercise a day.  Perception of ourselves by others is a major factor both in our social life and at work. Just over a quarter of those surveyed said they felt embarrassed about feeling unfit or blamed low-self esteem and body issues as reasons not to work out within the work place.

With figures and statistics from both employees and employers proving that exercising and leading an active lifestyle help to increase productivity and enhance ability to hand stress, amazingly over three quarters of employees say they don’t have enough time in the day to do so. 61% of all employees do not feel encouraged to lead an active lifestyle by their employer, despite the obvious benefits to themselves and their productivity.

In order to capitalise on these findings over half of employers surveyed would allow employees the flexibility to exercise in the morning. Whether it’s organising exercise classes at lunchtime, providing a discounted gym membership or just encouraging a more active commute the benefits are there for all to see.

Are you bringing bad habits into the office? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.