Physical activity can benefit workplaces in a variety of ways. Here you will find quotes taken directly from research documents. While there are many benefits sited, there are a few research points provided to help build the case. The source is cited at the bottom of the page for convenience.

Making the case

1. The workplace is an appealing venue for physical activity and fitness promotion because of the convenience, familiarity, peer support, flexibility, and reduced expense to employees.
2. The majority of adults spend over half their waking hours (10.5) at, and commuting to and from, work.
3. To increase activity levels and reduce the risk of muscle- and bone-related disorders, the implementation of an activity program in the worksite is recommended.
4. 73% of companies with more than 100 employees offer sport and recreation opportunities.
5. The majority of adults in Canada are at increased risk of chronic disease and premature death due to sedentariness.

Health benefits

1. Participation in worksite fitness and exercise programs can enhance health-related physical fitness (eg. favorable changes in body mass, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, flexibility, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels) and reduce risk-taking behaviors.
2. Individual, face-to-face counseling on physical activity, fitness, and health at the worksite positively affects activity levels and some components of health-related physical fitness.
3. 3 10-minute bouts of brisk walking accumulated over the course of a day can lead to risk reductions in cardiovascular disease and reduce anxiety and tension in previously sedentary adults.

Benefits to job performance

1. There is a positive relationship between workplace physical activity programs and job satisfaction. Higher job satisfaction, in turn, can lead to better employee morale, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism.
2. There is evidence that wellness programs in the workplace improve productivity, enhance job satisfaction, reduce sick leave/absenteeism, job stress, injuries and workers' compensation claims, and lower turnover.5,6
3. Wellness programs are also linked to improved employee morale, increased employee loyalty, reduced organizational friction, and better employee decision-making.

Economic benefits

1. A 10% reduction in the prevalence of physical inactivity among the Canadian population might reduce direct healthcare expenditures by $150 million per year.

Sources

Making the case

1. Health Canada (2002). Literature review: evaluations of workplace health promotion programs. Health Canada: Ottawa, Ontario.
2. Cameron, C., Craig, C.L., Stephens, T., and Ready, T.A. (2002). Increasing physical activity: supporting an active workforce. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute: Ottawa, Ontario.
3. Proper, K.I., Koning, M., van der Beek, A.J., Hildebrandt, V.H., Bosscher, R.J., and van Mechelen, W. (2003). The effectiveness of worksite physical activity programs on physical activity, physical fitness, and health. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 13(2), pp. 106-17.
4. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (1992). Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute: Ottawa, Ontario.
5. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (2002). 2001 physical activity monitor. Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute: Ottawa, Ontario.

Health benefits

1. Shephard, R.J. (1996). Worksite fitness and exercise programs: a review of methodology and health impact. American Journal of Health Promotion, 10(6), pp. 436-52.
2. Proper, K.I., Hildebrandt, V.H., van der Beek, A.J., Twisk, J.W., and van Mechelen, W. (2003). Effect of individual counseling on physical activity, fitness, and health: a randomized controlled trial in a workplace setting. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 24(3), pp. 218-26.
3. Lee, I.-M. and Skerrett, P.J. (2001). Physical activity and all-cause mortality: what is the dose-response relation? Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(6: supplement), pp. S459-71.

Benefits to job performance

1. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/fitness/evidence.html
2. Canada (2001). The business case for active living at work: why active living at work? Health Canada: Ottawa, Ontario.
3. Health Canada (2002). Literature review: evaluations of workplace health promotion programs. Health Canada: Ottawa, Ontario.

Economic benefits

1. Katzmarzyk, P.T. (2000). The economic burden of physical inactivity in Canada. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 163(11), pp. 1435-40.