Keys to Success > Policy Level: What Policies Make it Easier to be Physically Active?

This section focuses on policies that help employees be physically active. Sometimes, company policies that support physical activity are all that’s needed to encourage employees to be more active.

Your workplace may already have several policies, guiding principles or procedures that support employees being physically active, even though those documents were designed for other purposes. Make a list of all the policies that support physical activity, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

The following list gives you a snapshot of how your organization stacks up. Policies that can be used to encourage physical activity include:

• flex time to enable active commuting or physical activity during the workday

• time at work for stretch or activity breaks

• no scheduled meetings over lunch

• casual Fridays or a flexible dress code

• support for commuting

• hiring qualified instructors

• providing space for exercise classes

• recognizing participation and effort

• recognizing staff or volunteers who organize activities

Promoting Active Transportation

Is walking, biking or taking public transport promoted in your community? Walking or biking to and from work provides a great opportunity to add physical activity to the workday. Even 10-minute bouts (perhaps the time it takes to walk to the bus) add up to a big health difference.

Workplaces can support active transportation by taking these steps:

• Encouraging employees to adopt active transportation.

• Providing secure bicycle storage, lockers and shower facilities for employees.

• Allowing more flexible dress codes.

• Organizing workplace challenges and employee recognition programs.

• Supporting community events to increase awareness about the importance of physical activity.

• Working with municipal planners to map out safe and efficient routes to work and to address infrastructure or safety problems.

• Emphasizing reduced motorized transportation while at work and encouraging more active methods of transportation.

• Providing or subsidizing safe cycling or in-line skating clinics for employees.

(The list above is from the Public Health Agency of Canada.)

Creating a Policy on Physical Activity

To emphasize your organization’s commitment to physical activity, ask a representative committee to write a policy on physical activity. (The policy could be part of a larger occupational health and safety policy.) Outline the responsibilities of management, employees and contractors for physical activity at the workplace.

• Ask a senior manager to sign the policy.

• Post the policy at all worksites.

• Discuss the policy during employee orientations.

• Once a year, remind employees why physical activity is important and confirm the organization’s commitment to physical activity.

Find out More

Active Transportation links in the Resources section.

BC's Active Workplace Workbook: You'll need to register to download BC's Active Workplace Workbook, but it's free of charge. On page 54, you will find examples of policies that encourage employees to be active.