UK employees too embarrassed to work up a sweat

One in three UK employees avoid taking exercise during the working day because they are embarrassed about being hot and sweaty in front of colleagues. But 55% spend more than half of their day sitting or standing still and a huge four out of five fail to take the recommended amount of exercise each week.

 
These are the findings of a survey undertaken among 2,183 adults, of which 1,383 work, by pollsters YouGov on behalf of the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to mark World Heart Day on Sunday 26 September. The charity is also currently promoting its Health at Work initiative, which is sponsored by Legal & General and has 800 signatory organisations interested in boosting staff health.
 
Lisa Purcell, project manager for the BHF’s Health at Work programme, said: “Embarrassment shouldn’t prevent people from being healthy at work. You don’t have to don a lycra leotard to get fit and healthy and the payoffs from even simple changes like taking a walk at lunchtime are too great to ignore.”
 
Taking any form of exercise during the working day helped staff become less stressed and better motivated, she added.
 
“Bosses need to understand there’s a massive return on investment here. Simple measures to improve the health of your workforce – like swapping tea-break biscuits for fruit or getting the team together for a lunchtime kick-around in the car park – can improve productivity, reduce staff turnover and mean fewer sick days,” Purcell said.
 
The study also revealed, however, that half of respondents would not be prepared to travel more than 10 minutes from work or home to exercise. Some 48% chose to eat lunch at their desks, but 16% of them said that this was because they felt under pressure to take shorter breaks.
 
Recent government figures indicated, however, that 36% of men and 28% of women in England would be obese in five years if weight gain continued at current levels.
 
In news elsewhere, start-up E-learning Safety Training has launched an online interactive training portal for the oil and gas sector. The portal enables employers to track, monitor and keep employee training records up-to-date to ensure they comply with current standards.
 
Among other training options, the web site includes an online Health and Safety for Industry course that can be undertaken by workers in the field. It comprises nine modules and is accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.