Fit4Work: helping your employees get healthy exercise

Lack of physical activity and long periods of uninterrupted sitting can be harmful to your employees’ health. This increases the pressure on your organisation. So, let’s get moving together! As an employer, you can help create a working environment where everyone wants to be more active. 

Why is healthy exercise important?

Belgians do not get enough exercise at home or at work to keep us healthy. This sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and depression. It is not good for either your employees or your organisation. Fit and healthy employees are more motivated, ill less often and more resilient.

Research reveals major barriers to regular physical activity:

  • Lack of time (67.8%)
  • No one to exercise with (41.1%) 

Being active at work - together with colleagues - and during your commute is a good start. How can you encourage such healthy habits as an employer? By investing in an exercise policy (MOVE). 

How do you tackle physical activity at work?

To get people to be more active, you need a mental click and a balanced mix of physical activity, standing and sitting. Here’s how to get started:

  1. Do a check-up. Determine your employees’ fitness levels and which types of activity are indicated.
  2. Raise awareness and motivate people. Highlight the benefits of healthy exercise and work to raise people’s awareness.
  3. Create a dynamic company culture. The more exercise opportunities there are, the more people will want to join in.  
  4. Ensure sustainable behavioural change. Make physical activity part of your wellbeing policy. Compose a broad, low-threshold programme.

Want to get started on a healthy exercise policy with Fit4Work? 

Request your process

How can IDEWE help you promote physical activity at work?

Our Fit4Work experts use a diverse range of services to support you and your employees in becoming more active. Both during and outside of work.

Highlight the importance of physical activity with your free introductory package

  • ‘Being more active? Get the ball rolling!’ poster
  • ‘Healthy exercise’ brochure
  • ‘Activity’ digital poster pack

Use a challenge, workshop or keynote to activate your employees

  • Fit Mix challenge: employees get free exercises sent to their inbox for four weeks.
  • Workshops such as:
    • Fit Mix’: what are the benefits of being more active? What is healthy exercise? How can you build more exercise into your day? During this workshop, employees discover how. They also do exercises at their own level.
    • Motivation in motion’: how do you take the first steps towards better fitness and a more active lifestyle? An exercise coach takes your employees under their wing. They also give them tools to keep up their action plans.
    • Exercise tips for a healthy and energetic working day’: using exercise breaks to build more activity into your working day, so you feel and perform better. During this workshop, employees receive insights, tips and tricks.
  • Keynote: have a (former) elite athlete inspire your employees to be more active

Tailored guidance for your team or individual employees

  • Team process:
    • Use a Company Fit Profile to identify what your organisation is doing in terms of health promotion.
    • Encourage your employees to participate in healthy challenges.
    • Reward your employees for healthy habits with the BNFit app.
  • Personal process:
    • Offer your employees personalised guidance with individual coaching, fitness measurements and e-learning modules.

What will your journey to healthy exercise look like?

Request your materials, workshop or process

What can you start doing yourself as an employer?

Want to prevent a sedentary lifestyle from causing absences among your employees? Get your employees excited about healthy exercise at work with fun, varied and achievable projects:

  • Make Wednesday ‘Bike Day’: encourage your employees to bike instead of driving one day a week.
  • Encourage your employees not to sit still for too long: have them stand up regularly, take walks at lunch, do stretches, etc.
  • Introduce walking meetings: meetings can easily be held while standing or even walking.

 

Want to help your employees get healthy exercise?

Use this form to propose a challenge to our experts or request your materials, workshop or process.