Steps > Planning Workplace Physical Activity > Step 3: Finding out What’s Possible in Your Workplace

Before making plans to encourage physical activity during the workday, it’s important to find out what is “doable” in your workplace.

You don’t want to raise employee expectations by offering something that’s impossible due to funding or space limits. For example, it’s not realistic to suggest putting in a fitness facility if there’s no room for it. Be open, however, to creative ways around limitations.

Below are some questions to help you assess your workplace:

• What facilities or opportunities does your work space offer that make it easier to be physically active during the workday? For example, do you have stairs, bike racks, showers, space for a fitness facility, factory walking lanes?

• What nearby facilities or opportunities could employees use to be more physically active during the workday? Are you close to sidewalks, walking trails, community centres, bike lanes for active commuting and/or exercise facilities?

• What resources are available?

• Can the initiative access funds, personnel, space, equipment, facilities?

• What is the structure of your organization? For example, consider staff size, working hours, number of sites, unusual shifts, length of lunch breaks and ability to use flex time.

Find out More

Building Foundations, Changes to the Work Environment: A list of changes that could be made in your workplace to support employees being physically active.

Organizational Health Audit: This audit assesses the corporate culture, policies, procedures and work processes, programs and services, and physical environment of your organization. The audit will help you recognize how your workplace already supports employee health and identifies opportunities for improvement.

Physical Activity Audit Template: Use this basic survey to measure current physical activity in the workplace and facilities and resources in and around the workplace.

Workplace Assessment: Use this survey to find out about your employees, current health policies and programs in the workplace, and current and potential environmental physical activity opportunities.

Workplace Assessment: Sample Questionnaire: This comprehensive survey helps you put together a workplace environmental assessment by analyzing your organization’s structure and current health promotion practices, facilities and related resources.