Physical Activity in the Workplace

In Ireland, many employees spend most of their working day sitting. A workforce that is regularly active has a significantly reduced risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and stroke. It is important to support and encourage movement during working hours.

The benefits of moving during the work day

Regular movement breaks for employees bring lots of benefits for the individual and the organisation. For example:

• Employees experience improved mental health and wellbeing, better sleep and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

The organisation experiences greater productivity, stronger engagement and creativity, reduced absenteeism and a healthier and happier working environment.

Demonstrating a genuine commitment to employee health also strengthens your organisation’s reputation, enhances recruitment appeal and supports the long‑term retention of staff. 

Practical ways to bring movement into the work day

These ideas work for both office-based employees and hybrid or remote workers. 

• Walking meetings: Replace in-office discussions with movement. Talking meetings ‘on the go’ helps to boost creativity, sharpen focus and support overall wellbeing.

• Step challenges: These are a great way to encourage staff to be more active and promote some healthy competition. For ideas, see our resource ‘How to organise your workplace step challenge.’

• Workplace walking group: A dedicated workplace walking group can help coordinate routes, promote regular walking schedules (during lunch time, for example) and keep wellbeing initiatives visible across the organisation. See our ‘How to set up a workplace walking group’ resource for ideas on how to get started.

• Remote and hybrid workers: Providing guidance on healthy home working is essential. See our resource ‘Well at home’ for some practical tips or our ‘Deskercise’ resource for short videos on how to move at your desk.

For more information and/or workplace challenges check out the resources below.