Getting physical

News Article - 11 June 2009
Category: Business

Firms seeking to gain the competitive edge in the new year and hoping to improve their business health may find that encouraging employees to exercise could be a key.

Tom Stewart, joint managing director of System Concepts, said that in the jobs market today there was very little available that did not involve being sat in front of a computer.

He added that everything from emailing to filing to even booking a sandwich for lunch could be done without leaving the desk.

"Knowledge workers are effectively locked to technology, but our bodies are designed to move, " Mr Stewart said, which could suggest that there is a real need for such employees to take regular exercise breaks.

Research led by the University of Bristol and published in the current issue of International Journal of Workplace Health Management has revealed that exercise helped re-energise and improve concentration, made people feel calmer and particularly assisted with problem solving.

In addition, networking opportunities also seemed to thrive.

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