Whether you’re at the helm of a Fortune 500 company, a mid-sized school district or a mom-and-pop outfit with five on the payroll, a healthy employee population is vital to the success of your operations and business.

But workplaces in general don’t rank among the healthiest environments thanks much in part to the stress of workloads and hours on end spent at a desk or in front of a screen. That, however, could be changing if an initiative of the Physical Activity Alliance gains traction among company decision-makers.

Whether they oversee two or 2,000,000 employees, organizational leaders from every industry are being called on to sign the PAA’s “CEO Pledge for Physical Activity.” Endorsed by IHRSA, the pledge aims to make physical activity and healthy movement a regular part of the workplace environment for at least 10 million American workers.

And CEOs aren’t the sole target of the pledge. Executive directors, presidents, managing directors, deans and other recognized leaders of organizations are being asked to sign on. Doing so costs nothing. But signing on does indicate one’s willingness to:

1. Adopt at least three strategies that will provide equitable opportunities for physical activity and healthy movement before, during or after the workday.
2. Personally engage in regular physical activity.
3. Sign up to be part of the CDC’s “Active People, Healthy Nation” initiative to help 27 million Americans become more active by 2027.

Some suggested strategies for leaders to introduce to the workplace include but are not limited to:

• Sponsoring employee teams in organized fun runs/walks
• Providing employees with the option to use “active office” furniture (e.g., stand-up or treadmill desks, stability balls)
• Maintaining a safe outdoor activity feature at the worksite or nearby in the community (e.g. green space, maintained walking trail)
• Increasing the time allowed for lunch breaks or provide flexible scheduling to allow employees to be active during the workday
• Offering employees opportunities to wear casual, work-out-friendly attire to work
• Creating an onsite fitness area or reimburse/subsidize the cost of an offsite fitness center membership
• Designing a map of indoor and/or outdoor walking or rolling paths that are safe, convenient, and easy to follow near the workplace
• Nudging employees (via e-mail, text, music) to move throughout the workday

“Embracing physical activity and healthy movement with clear support from senior leaders provides staff and employees with invaluable benefits that are particularly relevant to today’s workforce,” CEO Pledge spokesperson, Jack Groppel, Ph.D., a co-founder of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute. In a workplace specifically, he adds, more activity leads to improved mental health, physical health and capacity for productivity; enhanced creativity; and reduced sedentary behavior.

In particular, small doses of movement throughout the day, says Groppel, can boost mood and worker productivity – and even lower cravings.

Aquila is thrilled to see leaders throughout our nation getting behind a movement to make American workplaces more active and encourages others who are committed to making their office environment healthier to sign the pledge here.

For further guidance on wellness initiatives or facility enhancements needed to meet the specific needs of your organization and its employees, contact Aquila today. We’ve got 25 years of experience creating, managing, designing and implementing some of the most innovative health and fitness solutions for all kinds of people and all kinds of organizations.