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Boost Your Job Performance
by Hayli Morrison
Exercise programs, weight loss challenges, and company gym membership discounts are becoming more prevalent as corporations aim to liven up the work environment while curbing healthcare costs.
“Healthier employees absolutely save companies a ton of money in health care,” says Peter Capelli, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Center for Human Resources. “It isn’t clear that these programs are the best way to improve job performance, if that’s the goal, but there is also no down side on performance.”
A recent study by the American College of Sports Medicine showed that time management, productivity, mental focus and interpersonal relations were stronger among workers who exercise. In fact, at least 65 percent of the 210 study participants showed improvement on the days they exercised. With employee improvement in these key areas, it’s a given that companies will benefit.
“The company will be successful, no matter how you look at it,” says Terrence Thomas, a holistic lifestyle coach in Hollandale Beach, Fla. “An employee who takes care of him or herself is going to get more work done, and the company will be more successful. Taking it even deeper, if the entire team is healthier and more positive, and if that’s what you’re sending out, you can’t help but get anything positive back.”
This can be particularly helpful in the area of customer service, one of the most critical – and sometimes one of the least effective – areas of a company.
“Customers want to leave feeling good, and if somebody genuinely wants to serve and help people, we feel it,” Thomas explains. “You can’t fake that, and in order for someone to offer that, you first have to be at a certain level of awareness and be clear in mind and body.”
But in today’s world of longer commutes and more overtime, where does exercise fit in? It is possible to make exercise part of your weekday routine; though it may be in unconventional ways, the benefits of doing so are plenty.
Workday exercise could include things as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking farther away from the office entrance. Also, instead of emailing or calling a co-worker in the office, walk over and talk to them in person. You can also set a reminder on your computer to get up and move or stretch ever half hour. Work hard for 20 to 25 minutes, then get up and walk around the office for five minutes. Remember to repeat the process throughout the day. It has been proven that working in short bursts increases productivity.
If the daily schedule is too cramped, the lunch hour provides a perfect opportunity to run, walk, swim or bike. Visit a local gym or hit the streets if weather allows. As an added benefit, a lunchtime workout routine can spare you the extra cost and calories of eating too much at midday. You might invite buddies to go along or start some office walking groups. If your lunch-break is only 30 minutes, walk for five to ten minutes; if you get an hour, go for 20 minutes or more. It could also be beneficial to find a job with a company that provides employee access to an on-site fitness center, or discounted membership to an off-site center.
Finding the motivation can be difficult in the midst of busy lives and stressful jobs. Many professionals find that the treadmill and elliptical trainer simply aren’t that enticing after a long, demanding work day. Renu Joseph, a research associate at the University of Maryland, found herself in the rut of inactivity, despite her status as a paying member of an exercise gym. Finally, she decided to take up yoga classes to justify the monthly cost of her membership.
“I had been paying money to the gym and I kind of thought, ‘Hey, I need to use it,’” she says. “Yoga classes are a bit more expensive and I thought if I went once a month, it might be worth it.” Joseph was surprised at the effect yoga had on her life, and has now been attending a class once a week for the past two years.
“I thought, ‘Big deal. Standing on one foot. It’s not that hard.’ But at the end of it, I was amazed. I was so calm and I slept really well,” explains Joseph, adding that the calmness and relaxation carried over into her work life, giving her better focus on the job. Yoga also gave Joseph a stronger sense of work-life balance. It’s yet another in the long line of benefits exercise can bring to those who embrace it.
Whatever exercise option suits you best, try to schedule it for the same time each day so it becomes a part of the daily routine. The most important thing is to stay active, and sticking to a schedule is one of the most effective strategies for doing so.
“The whole purpose of exercise is two things – to help us function better and to improve structure. The demands of the job will dictate what type of exercise program is needed,” Thomas points out. “We’re so inactive these days that the best exercise for employees is the one they’ll commit to.”
