Cutting work hours for exercise could boost employees’ productivity

A new Swedish study has suggested that reducing work hours for exercise may increase employees’ productivity

For the study, researchers Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz, PhD, and Henna Hasson, PhD, of Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, divided the employees into three groups.

One group of employees participated in the mandatory exercise programme of 2.5 hours a week during regular work hours. The second group received the same reduction in work hours, but did not participate in an exercise programme. The third group worked regular hours with no exercise programme.

The researchers found that employees assigned to the exercise programme showed significant increases in self-rated measures of productivity, felt more productive at work and had a reduced rate of work absences due to illness.

The results suggest that reducing work hours for exercise or other health promotion might lead to increased productivity.

The study appears in the August Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.