International. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed new light on an already critical aspect of working life: that of employee health and well-being. While awareness of the dangers of sedentary work was already increasing, these unprecedented times underscore the importance of companies taking a more holistic approach to supporting the physical and mental well-being of their workers, providing guidance and resources to protect staff, both on-site and at work at home.
In the UK, the AJ Products UK brand, supported by the ukactive initiative, has partnered on a report to examine the impact of labour practices on employee health and well-being. Addressing sedentary behavior in the workforce is a comprehensive study on the state of health in the workplace that looks at the risks associated with long hours spent in sedentary positions at work, whether the job is in the office or remote, and what can be done to improve activity. levels among the working population.
The report investigates how our office spaces need to change and what companies can do to support remote workers and ensure wellness practices are kept away from the physical workplace. It also examines real-world solutions based on case studies of companies running successful wellness programs to provide "best practice" guidance for other companies to follow.
AJ Products is a supplier of workplace furniture and interior solutions that focuses on ways to solve the problem of a sedentary workday. As a partner of ukactive, the company is committed to making workplaces healthier and more active through an innovative and ever-growing range of sitting and standing furniture and raising public awareness of the health risks of sitting for a long time.
ukactive is an independent non-profit organization that exists to improve the nation's health by making more people more active more often. It provides services and facilitates partnerships for a wide range of organizations, all of which support its vision and have a role to play in achieving its goal.
Analysis
Work stress and negative health outcomes associated with sedentary behavior have reached substantial proportions in Western industrialized societies at great cost to businesses and employees. Addressing sedentary behaviour in the workforce demonstrates how simple measures such as equipping offices and homes with better furnishings and encouraging employees to increase their levels of physical activity can mitigate the negative health effects associated with sedentary behaviour during the working day.
It looks at how interventions around workplace design have been shown to reduce sitting time by up to 40 minutes during an eight-hour workday, while other evidence shows that taking multiple standing breaks or performing some physical movement during the day may be more beneficial than having moderate to vigorous activity over a given period of time.
The report also features case studies of companies of all sizes that highlight health and wellness strategies that have worked effectively, as well as how these programs have adapted in light of COVID-19 to provide the same level of care to employees working from home. Whether interventions focus on fitness challenges, online wellness workshops, or in-house training classes, the case studies highlight the need for each company to consider what types of interventions would be most effective based on employee preferences and demographics. It also draws attention to the need for companies to promote flexibility, permissiveness and a positive work environment to ensure employees feel comfortable to participate in these interventions and prioritize their health.
David English, CEO of AJ Products, shared his thoughts. He said: "Working on this report with ukactive has really highlighted the struggle many companies face to fully support the mental and physical well-being of all their staff. Not only do we look at the risks of sedentary behaviour in the workplace, but we also consider the reality of many companies to come up with practical suggestions they could adopt."
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