Social Environment Recommendations

The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute(CFLRI) offers the following recommendations for providing a social environment that encourages physical activity based on their 2003 survey of workplaces:

• Set-up lunchtime walking clubs to provide social support to encourage employees to walk daily.
• Provide incentives for active commuting, such as subsidized passes for public transportation.
• Participate in national events and promote participation in active commuting challenges.
• Encourage workers to participate in physical activity outside of work or working hours, for example in community recreational activities.
• Communicate the benefits of an active workforce to managers as well as employees.
• Obtain, use, or modify existing tools and resources for developing a business case for physical activity in your workplace.
• Provide incentives or rewards for employees who participate in physical activities. These can include certificates or rewards, monetary rewards, time off from work, or draws for gift certificates that focus on physical activity (e.g. local sports stores, books on physical activity, leisure and healthy living).
• Tie programs within the company to other Canadian initiatives to reinforce the value of an active workforce. For example, companies may apply for the Healthy Workplace Award, which was developed by the National Quality Institute in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada to recognize employers who 'promote, encourage, support and offer exemplary health-related policies and programs in the workplace.'
• Provide social rewards or reinforcement for employees who participate in physical activities.
• Encourage employees to participate in local and special physical activity events, such as SummerActive/ WinterActive, the Terry Fox Run, corporate challenges, or Healthy Workplace Week.
• Provide a favourable physical activity atmosphere in the workplace by sponsoring community-related physical activities, making a financial contribution toward equipment, jerseys, and tournaments for local sports teams, or sponsoring physical activity sessions in the community such as free public skating or swimming.
• Work to reduce or eliminate barriers to physical activity, especially related to the workplace.
• Encourage co-workers to establish a buddy system to support each other when participating in physical activities.
• Encourage the support of employees' family members by promoting physical activities that involve the whole family. This can be done by allowing all members to use on-site fitness facilities, or by hosting a physical activity day for employees and their families. This may help to alleviate the potential barrier of juggling the demands of family and work.
• Provide counseling on various aspects of physical activity targeted towards employees. Many workers hold strong positive beliefs about the work-related benefits of physical activity.
• Provide outreach to individuals who do not currently participate in company physical activity programs.
• Encourage managers or senior staff to be physically active.
• Ensure adequate training for managers and key employees so they can effectively increase awareness of physical activity-related policies and programming within the organization.
• Invite local physical activity professionals to speak to employees regarding specific aspects of physical activity.
• Encourage employees to discuss physical activity with their physicians and other health-care professionals.