9 ways to bring more movement into (and out of) the office

According to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 4 American adults are sitting for more than eight hours External Site a day.

It's almost too easy Opens in a new window for employees to rack up time spent sitting each day. Consider their commute, meetings attended throughout the day and desk time. It can be a cycle your employees fall into day after day without even thinking about it.

5 easy ways to get your employees moving more.

When your employees make healthy decisions, they tend to be more productive — which, in turn, keeps your business thriving. Not to mention, when employees feel like their employers care about their health and well-being, they are three times more likely to go the extra mile¹ — positively impacting your bottom-line.

1. Schedule walking meetings throughout the day.

   Consider holding 1:1 meetings or touch base meetings by walking around your work space.

2. Walk to a local restaurant instead of ordering lunch in.

   Encourage employees to get up from their desks to take a walk to grab lunch at a local spot rather than having it delivered. Or get away from a workstation to eat lunch — try a new common space, a park, or a break room in a different part of the building.

3. Strategically build wellness incentives.

   Your company wellness incentive structure should aim to promote engagement over participation. Think gift cards, vacation time or monetary bonuses to employees who reach their wellness goals.

4. Invest in ergonomic furniture.

   Invest in exercise balls, standing desks, ergonomic keyboards and chairs — even treadmills or stair-stepping desks.

5. Coordinate wellness meet-ups during the week and weekend.

   Provide wellness opportunities to meet up after work or on the weekend twice each week. It’s a great way to help employees remain accountable, bond and meet new individuals within the company.

More team activity inspiration outside of the workplace.

There are several ways you can get active as a team outside of work hours. Not only will your employees be participating in movement good for their body, it’s also a great opportunity for team building. From sharing resources to sponsoring a recreational team, put these options under consideration.

1. Check out local, upcoming races in your city or find local races and events External Site in your community for employees and their families to participate in.
2. Join a local sports league.Whether it’s basketball, sand or indoor volleyball, flag football or slow pitch — get a group of interested employees into a team for a fun, weeknight team-building exercise activity!
3. Hike or bike the local trails. Check out local trails External Site within your community where employees can meet up on the weeknights or weekends to hike or bike around!
4. Consider a game park. Schedule a team outing at a game park that has different activity options (e.g., racquetball, table tennis,) for all ages and abilities.

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¹Engaging Employees through Health and Wellbeing Report, Simply Health, 2011.