In Poland, it's hard to imagine accepting a job that doesn't provide access to health programs. Part of the salary and benefits is the option to use a sports card. It's a big surprise that while opportunities to engage in physical activity are plentiful, Poland is among the most inactive countries in Europe (European Commission Eurobarometer, 2022). Physical health is known to have a significant and positive impact on job performance (Corporate Wellness Magazine, 2023). Good physical health contributes to the overall well-being of employees, reducing absenteeism and healthcare costs and increasing job satisfaction, productivity, and retention.
Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of good physical health but in many countries, this lags. According to the European Commission (Eurobarometer, 2022), Romanians and Poles are at the very bottom of the list. In both nations, only 2% of citizens report regular physical exercise. Across Europe, the average lies at 6%. Finland does exceptionally well with 18% of citizens engaging in regular physical activity. The difference between Fins and Poles is immense. In Finland, just 8% indicate they never engage in exercise. That's against 65% in Poland. While physical activity in Finland is improving with a 5% decrease in citizens reporting they never exercise from 2017 to 2022, the situation in Poland is worsening with a 9% increase in those who never exercise. Apart from a few countries, Europe seems to be moving in the right direction. People are getting more exercise and that's a positive sign. It underlines that most people understand the importance of physical health.
Physical health encapsulates more than physical exercise and looks at the baseline health status which can be tied to the way employees function in the workplace. A study by J. Lahti, M. Laaksonen, E. Lahelma, and O. Rahkonen published in 2009 in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports found that physical inactivity, obesity, and smoking all contribute to public health problems, including sickness absence. Employees with a poor baseline health status are at increased risk of developing chronic diseases and experiencing decreased functioning. Employers should therefore focus on providing a healthy work environment in which physical activity and a balanced caloric intake are encouraged while smoking is discouraged. Companies must develop effective physical health programs that improve the baseline health status of their employees to see enhanced employee productivity and a reduction in absenteeism in the workplace.
The benefits of encouraging good physical health among employees extend beyond lower absenteeism and higher levels of productivity as it also impacts job satisfaction and employee retention. A study by Sören Dallmeyer, Pamela Wicker, and Christoph Breuer (Journal of Occupational Health, 2023) suggests that physical activity outside the workplace has a positive effect on job satisfaction. There is an indirect relationship between physical activity and job satisfaction through the channel of physical health. In other words, better overall health (including physical activity) leads to increased job satisfaction. Furthermore, there is a direct impact of physical activity on job satisfaction but that impact is negatively affected by work stress. In a publication by Lindsay E. Sears, Yuyan Shi, Carter R. Coberley, and James E. Pope (Population Health Management, 2013), improved physical health as part of employees' overall well-being led to higher retention. Physical health plays, on many fronts, a role in the job performance of employees. Leaders who leverage this knowledge to develop health programs and motivate employees to improve their baseline health status are better positioned to shape high-performing teams.
Familiar with the benefits that good physical health brings into the workplace, leaders must invest in effective strategies to encourage it. There are plenty of articles available online that guide managers on how to shape their approach to physical health. A starting point is to lead by example and carve out space for employees to engage in physical activity during their workday. A concrete example is extended lunch breaks that enable employees to go for a walk or visit a nearby gym. Due to the nature of their jobs, some employees need to be on location. Employees working from the office benefit from investments in workplace design a balanced cafeteria offering, and incentives to commute by bike or on foot. Gamification of practicing good physical health can engage remote workers. Software such as Apple Health sends stimuli that remind employees when to take a break or share insights into the healthy habits of their peers. It's best to be flexible and offer a range of options. Whenever there are indications that the options are not utilized, it's worth assessing if enough training and education are provided on the benefits of good physical health. Just as employees learn in different ways, they practice good health in different ways.
There are obvious examples of companies that invest in access to physical health-improving resources. According to Daily Muse Inc. (2023), NIKE encourages physical activity by providing its employees with free access to its Sports Centres, fitness discounts, preventive programs, and healthcare benefits for employees and their families. Family circumstances naturally have an impact on how employees perform at work. In addition, NIKE invests in other resources that improve employees' overall well-being, such as therapy, mindfulness, and caregiving services. Cost is understandably a factor for leaders to decide on what resources to make available. However, leaders must weigh the cost of these resources against the anticipated performance gains before ruling certain options out. If the gains are larger than the cost, investing in a proof of concept would make sense.
Companies that invest in the physical health of their employees should expect a variety of benefits. A high baseline health status reduces absenteeism in the workplace and increases job satisfaction, productivity, and retention. A majority of people understand the importance of physical health but there is still plenty of room for improvement. Especially leaders in geographies such as Central Europe can deliver meaningful impact by crafting effective health programs that not only provide access to resources but also encourage their utilization.