Businesses need to take an active role in promoting physical activity to combat obesity – claims an organisation leading the nation’s biggest workplace physical activity campaign. With obesity on the rise, coupled with a recent study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) revealing that only 28 per cent of employees receive advice from their employers on health and wellbeing issues; coordinators of the Workplace Challenge are calling business leaders across the country to take action.
Employers are being encouraged to sign up to the campaign, run by the County Sports Partnership Network (CSP network) in collaboration with the British Heart Foundation Health at Work programme.
Workplace Challenge provides workers with the opportunity to use a free online activity logger to keep track of all their physical activity and active travel.
The idea behind the platform – which has already proved a success in pilot areas across the country – is to encourage workers to be more active and make exercise a part of their daily routine.
The Workplace Challenge invites workers to log their activity in reward for points for their place of work. They will also get the chance to go head to head with their other local businesses and even take part in inter-workplace competitions and leagues.
Organisers hope that workplaces will get involved by organising sport orientated team days out or by launching a walk to work or lunch walking scheme; employers will directly benefit from a healthy and revitalised team of staff who are active both in and outside of work.
