Workplace Walking
Given the amount of time people spend at work it makes sense to think about the opportunities for increasing levels of physical activity in and around the workplace.
Support from Paths for All
Benefits for employees
Walking is a cheap and effective way to promote better health and wellbeing to the workforce. A short lunchtime walk is the ideal ‘stressbusting’ activity and has many benefits for employees:
- A lunchtime walk helps people to return to work feeling refreshed and energised
- Walking can be included as part of the journey to and from work and is easy to fit into lunch breaks. As it is a gentle activity there is no need to get changed or shower!
- Workplace walking can be a sociable activity and has the added value of providing an opportunity to network.
Benefits for employers
There are also advantages for employers who encourage physical activity within the workplace:
- Increases employee commitment to work, staff performance and productivity
- Reduces staff turnover or intention to leave
- Reduces sickness costs and absence
Facts and figures
- Physically active employees take 27% less sick days than
non-active employees - Studies have shown that individual work performance can be improved by between 4% and 15% when people engage in regular physical activity
- An on-site fitness programme can reduce staff turnover by between 8% and 13%
(Statistics taken from British Heart Foundation)
Support from Paths for All
Paths for All have developed a number of initiatives to support the promotion of workplace walking. These resources can contribute to your organisation’s participation in the Healthy Working Lives Award Scheme. For more informaiton please view the Healthy Working Lives website.
Paths for All workplace grants can help small and medium sized enterprises with potential costs of setting up or promoting workplace walks. To see what other workplaces are doing with our support click here.
Workplace Training is available for Workplace Walk Organisers and Walk Leaders.
Our Workplace Pedometer Pack is an effective way to motivate employees and generate interest in walking in your workplace.
There are also promotional materials available to help you advertise your project within your workplace. Posters, leaflets, flyers and promotional items such as pens and coasters can all be ordered from Paths for All.
For more information on any of these initiatives, contact Frances bain on 01463 725125 or frances.bain@pathsforall.org.uk
Tips from other workplaces
Promotion, motivation, working with volunteers and even the weather can all be difficult when you are starting out and when your scheme is established. One of the great benefits of walking for health with Paths for All is that you are never working, or walking, alone.
Not only will we support you to make the positive changes in your workplace, we can also help you link up and network with our other walking workplaces all across Scotland. We recently held 'catch up and share' networking events in Edinburgh and Glasgow and the feedback from both is a great place to look for ideas to help you tackle the issues which may arise in your workplace. Click here to read more about some of the challenges others have faced and how they are overcoming them.
