It is already very well known that sport is one of the factors of wellbeing at work. Indeed, our life is more and more sedentary since we don’t work in the countryside anymore. Most of our jobs are office jobs which means less sunlight during the day and less physical exercise. This can lead to many problems and diseases such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, chronic fatigue and so on. In the article, we will see how sport can help you be more productive at your job and how to implement it in your company.
What are the good effects?
Sitting all day long in front of a computer can be very hard sometimes, especially if it is a slow day. Doing physical activity at least twice a week can help you be more motivated in your work. Indeed, working out will develop in you, a sense of ambition to improve yourself and your performance constantly. If you are into running, for example, you’ll first run 5k, then 10k and a few months later, run a half-marathon. It is the same for work when you have this motivational need to perform better. The sport will, therefore, motivate you and allow you to perform well.
Working out is also a nice way to release all the tension you accumulate during the day. All this stress and constant mental activity can be heavy to carry throughout the week. With sport, you will be able to focus only on your exercise program and nothing else. You will release anxiety and be more present the next day. Indeed, being static all day can lead to foggy brain and unclear thinking. If you practice an activity that you enjoy several times a week, you will get this brain clarity again.
Finally, sport will fight your daily fatigue. Yes, it can be weird to read this but the more you move your body throughout the day, the more energy you’ll have. This partly comes from your digestion that will be way better once you work out. Usually, it is because we eat too much and don’t move enough that our digestion is bad. Then our body takes all the energy we have, to process this food and we don’t have any more energy for work. Improving your digestion by eating well and exercising a lot will give you the energy boost you need to be productive and consistent at your work.
How to incorporate it in your company?
Several options exist to implement sport in your company. The first one and easiest one is probably to allow a part of your budget to finance your employees’ sports activities. Indeed, some of your employees already do physical activity outside of work and financing this activity will motivate them to continue and motivate others to start. It can be the gym subscription, the yearly membership to a running club and so on. If several employees practice the same activity, it willoffer them the opportunity to bond better as a team. It will also improve employee loyalty toward the company and enhance social interactions.
Also, this is a new trend which appeared several years ago in the US. Companies like Google or Facebook understood quickly that to get commitment and satisfaction from their employees, they should make them feel at home whilst at work, especially regarding the sport part. Since then, many companies got inspired to do the same and implement sport in their structure during work hours. This type of implementation is more adaptable in medium/large companies instead of small ones since it can be quite expensive. It also requires some organization daily since you don’t want to have a meeting just after your exercise session.
To implement this, there are several options possible. The first one is to create a room dedicated to relaxing, stretching or doing some easy fitness with some mats and zen music. Some people would say yoga is not a sport, and this is because they never really tried it! Having this kind of room can help workers to relax and forget work for a while and reconnect with themselves.
The second option could be to hire a coach that would give a personalized gym class for a small group. Make a quick survey for your employees in order to know what type of class they would be interested in.
How it can change your company’s dynamic?
Having employees in a good mood is always a boost for your company, whether it is from sport or not. One motivated person in a group can always motivate others and lead to a collective enhancement of performance. Incorporating sport in your company will, therefore, encourage the team spirit to grow as well as create a nice atmosphere.
Depending on how you implement the sports program in your company, people will interact with it differently and maybe collectively. Employees might practice together and create close relationships which can impact the entire company’s mood. Team building which includes sport exercises is also a great way to reinforce the team spirit. Even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea to practice sport, doing it with others can make it more interactive and fun to do.
In conclusion, allowing your employees to practice sport by implementing a program or financing their sport, will help you create a great team dynamic within your company where people work well together and become more productive.
Get also 10 tips to feel better in your work environment!
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