Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more employees have shifted to hybrid and remote work in office work, telehealth, information technology, education and other fields; however, there are many jobs that cannot be performed remotely, such as transportation, hospitality, manufacturing, food service, supermarket and other retail work and the majority of healthcare positions. Therefore, workplace wellness programs need to change along with these shifts in the workplace environment. After all, encouraging more employees to be physically active has social, environmental and economic benefits. 

Physical inactivity has a high cost burden to employers — an estimated $300 billion between 2020 and 2030, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) global status report on physical activity — with even more cost if physical inactivity is not addressed. Inability to address physical inactivity will result in increased chronic diseases as well as declining mental health, and higher-income countries like the United States will incur a larger economic burden. Since half of the world’s population is of working age, the cost of chronic disease and injuries could be as much as 4-6% of global gross domestic product (GDP). Unfortunately, these projections may be conservative, and actual costs may be higher.  

In a recent study, people who met physical activity guidelines of at least 150 minutes per week were found to have lower healthcare utilization, with fewer emergency room visits, hospital admissions and primary care visits compared to those who did not meet the guidelines. Likewise, seniors who participated in a SilverSneakers exercise program had over $2,000 per year savings in healthcare costs compared to nonparticipants. A RAND Corporation study of 50,000 workers reported that for every $1 invested in managing chronic diseases, the employer saved $3.78, but there was less immediate return for just general employee lifestyle management. Seven years of employee engagement in both chronic disease and lifestyle programs led to $30 reduced healthcare costs per month per employee.   

The aforementioned WHO report recommends both government and private sector workplaces provide opportunities for employees to be active during the day as well as promote active transportation methods such as public transit, walking and bicycling. Both strategies can provide good return on investment, contribute to increased productivity, and reduce injuries and missed work.  

In the release of the ACSM Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2023 there was little support for workplace incentives for physical activity or any other trend mentioning employer-based physical activity in the top 20 trends. It appears that traditional workplace wellness and employer sponsored programs may be falling out of favor following COVID-19. This is unfortunate given the projected economic costs of chronic disease and mental health caused by failing to address physical activity. Some employers may have shifted away from traditional workplace fitness and wellness programs and are now evaluating more programs that look at overall well-being, such as work-life balance, stress management and mental health, as well as promoting flexible physical activity options for onsite, hybrid and remote workers.  

Governments and industry may want to collect prospective data on their employee physical activity and well-being so they can analyze their economic impact, especially following changing workplace environments due to COVID-19. The Physical Activity Alliance advocates for assessing physical activity at work using standardized measures and encouraging CEOs to sign a physical activity pledge to make physical activity a workplace cultural norm. Finally, employers can implement workplace policies to promote physical activity and overall employee well-being. 

AUTHOR: Janet R. Wojcik, Ph.D., FACSM, is professor and program director of exercise science at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She is a member of the ACSM American Fitness Index Advisory Board and the Physical Activity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (PAPREN) worksite work group. 

Originally published on March 27, 2023