Men are exercising more than women, impacting workplace wellness

Data from WorkScore shows that regular fitness can make a real difference to one’s productivity at work, but troublingly, women are exercising less than men, impacting them in the workplace.

The 2019 Wellbeing Report, compiled by employee wellbeing and business productivity organisation WorkScore, surveyed nearly 9,000 working professionals across Australia and found that while only 16 per cent of men say they don’t exercise at all, nearly one-quarter (23 per cent) of women said the same.

When it came to exercising six or more days each week, 12 per cent of men said they do this, while only 5 per cent of women exercise almost daily.

This may be concerning for women across the board, WorkScore noted in its report, saying that “people who don’t exercise rate themselves as having low concentration at work and as highly stressed”.

Fitness makes a difference at work for people who exercise three or more days a week in that they will have higher rates of concentration, lower levels of stress, be more likely to take regular breaks at work and will find it easier to switch off from work, the report said.

“This demonstrates a clear link between exercising and performance at work, reinforcing the need for employers to provide more opportunities to exercise.”

On the gender question, there is a “notable difference”, WorkScore surmised, between men and women when it comes to commitment to exercise, and employers need to find ways to address this imbalance.

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