The emphasis on workplace fitness is one of the fastest growing segments of fitness, and on September 23, the World Heart Federation (WHF) joined the movement by calling on employers to take rmore responsibility for workplace wellness. According to newly released information, the vast majority (91%) of workers believe that it is their employer's responsibility to create a healthy working environment, but nearly a third (32%) of employees feels their workplace actually hinders their ability to lead a healthy lifestyle,
In Silicon Valley, where fitness is already a high priority among many large companies, there is an active network of professionals who are working to improve the region's profile for workplace fitness.
Krisna Hanks, MS, MBA, a corporate wellness consultant and Director of Stanford Health Promotion Network told San Jose Fitness that it's more than lip-service. "Creating a truly healthier workforce requires more than just providing wellness programs," she says."Organizations must adopt policies that allow employees the time and flexibility to utilize the services, in order to reap the rewards that wellness offers, in terms of productivity and engagement. This demands a comprehensive corporate strategy that places wellness as a core business principle and is aligned with the organization’s unique culture."
World Heart Day to inspire healthy workplaces
The WHF made its announcement ahead of September 26, World Heart Day, the largest global awareness campaign on heart disease and stroke. The stance is meant to encourage employers and employees to promote a heart-healthy workplace by adopting workplace-wellness programes that encourage employees to modify their behavior.
Far from being just a US-centered initiative, workers worldwide were surveyed:
- Approximately one out of ten (11%) workers do not agree that their employer supports a healthy workplace, despite six out of ten employees(63%) rating support of healthy initiatives, and eight out of ten (80%) rating health insurance, as important or very important when choosing an employe
- Professional Business employees (such as lawyers and accountants) were significantly more likely than other occupational sectors to state that their employer offers five or six workplace-wellness programmes and initiatives (such as smoking-cessation programs or walk to work days)
- People in the Government and Public Sector (e.g. healthcare professionals or educators) and Professional Business Sector (such as lawyers and accountants) were more likely than those in the Manufacturing/Engineering Sector (e.g. trade and distribution) to take four steps towards a heart-healthy lifestyle (for example, undertaking physical exercise at least three times a week, or not smoking)
"World Heart Day is a major international awareness day dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and control of heart disease and stroke," according to Professor Pekka Puska, President, World Heart Federation. "We hope that this day motivates people to take preventative action within the workplace to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, and that people around the world will join us in both celebrating World Heart Day, and in the global fight against heart disease and stroke."
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