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Page 20 — Property Management Quarterly — January 2018
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Management
I f you tracked howmany steps
you took from the moment you
started work until you clocked
out for the night, how many
steps would you get? If you’re
being honest, the answer is prob-
ably “not much.” Especially if your
job requires you to sit behind a com-
puter all day, without any incentive
to move. Humans were born to move,
but how can you do that with a job
that requires you to stay stagnant all
day long?
A poll of 3,000 workers found that
almost 60 percent of respondents felt
overweight, according to an article on
. More than four in 10 respon-
dents said they had gained weight at
their current jobs, up from less than
40 percent last year, and more than 20
percent said they’ve gained 10 pounds
or more.
It’s not surprising that many of the
reasons for gaining weight are due
to sitting at a desk all day or feeling
too exhausted after work to exercise.
Furthermore, added stress from hit-
ting deadlines or dealing with family
issues can lead to tighter waistbands
and a higher number on the scale.
Ever worse, it can lead to less retention
of employees, unhealthy employees,
higher health care expenses and more
used sick days.
This is something you, as a build-
ing manager, can help change. More
importantly, it’s something for which
you can start taking responsibility by
creating more movement opportunities
in the workplace.
Movement throughout the workday
provides many benefits to your tenants
and employees, including being more
present, productive and energetic. By
providing and sup-
porting movement
in the workplace,
you encourage them
to make healthier
decisions through-
out the day. And
with happy and
healthy employees,
you’ll be more apt to
provide more oppor-
tunities for move-
ment.
If you’re a property
manager who wants
to get your tenants
and your manage-
ment staff to be more productive, posi-
tive and enthusiastic, here are a few
ideas to get started:
• Support a culture of movement
by making the stairs a more pleasant
experience than taking the elevator.
• Create “movement spaces,”which
can include a rentable walking or
stand-up desk, small exercise equip-
ment located in unused corners of
your office space, or hosting quick
group stretching breaks in hallways or
unused conference rooms.
• Provide outdoor walking trails that
are easily accessible.
• Hire a third party to create friendly
movement competitions, organize
a building 5K run/walk, or a family
friendly field day.
• Offer on-site group fitness classes,
personal training or a staffed fitness
center.
• Provide educational experiences
such as lunch-and-learns with topics
including “how to meal prep” or “walk
and talk with an expert.”
• Offer walking/running gait analysis
and fitness assessments.
• Encourage members to change
one-on-one meetings with co-workers
into a walking meeting outside.
In a recent study done by Allsteel,
when employees were asked if mov-
ing throughout the workday helped,
the results pointed to a resounding
yes.
We all know that our workforce is
changing. The millennial generation
is revolutionizing the workplace, from
creating cozy lounging areas and free
snacks to kombucha on tap.While
having this kind of casual environ-
ment might not be feasible in your
workplace, consider bringing fun into
the office. For example, you can place
a foosball or pingpong table in a com-
munity area or provide social areas
to help your tenants’ employees take
a break from the grind so they can
return to their desks refreshed and re-
energized.
If you don’t have any extra room
inside, consider setting up corn hole,
ladder ball or pingpong outside, if the
weather permits.You can even provide
an online application to keep track of
a fun tournaments between tenants or
to keep score for all to see.
Nowmore than ever, employees
need to find a space to move. Giving
them the opportunity to do that with-
in the workplace is conducive to help
everyone be healthier and happier.▲
Angela
Nichols
Senior vice
president, Elevation
Corporate Health,
Denver
Allsteel
The result of a study conducted by Allsteel about movement in the workplace. Respondents
could check all that applied.