84% of employees in SMEs experience physical and mental discomfort

To ascertain how attention to lifestyle, vitality and resilience is evolving inside and outside the company walls of Belgian SMEs, Mensura surveyed nearly 1,200 business managers or HR managers at SMEs and their employees.

A whopping 84% of the surveyed employees regularly experience one or more physical and mental discomforts. These mainly include neck and shoulder complaints (47%), persistent fatigue (42%) and difficulty falling asleep (35%). Nervousness and concentration problems fall just outside the top three most common discomforts.
 

Dorien Simons: “Het blijft hoe dan ook een uitstekende zaak dat een meerderheid van de kmo’s beweging stimuleert. Voldoende bewegen heeft veel voordelen voor onze gezondheid."

At the same time, barely half of all workers indicate that they regularly do physical activities outside working hours. This can range from sports to leisurely walks, cycling or even gardening. A large group only occasionally finds the energy or time to do such activities (41%), and a smaller group never exercises.

Dorien Simons, vitality expert at Mensura: “We deliberately defined physical activity in broad terms. Sufficient exercise has many benefits for our health, such as less muscle and joint pain, better blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. It also helps us cope better with stress and boosts high-quality sleep. Being active outdoors is ideal, as both exercise and daylight boost your sleep quality. It’s important to note that exercise in one’s free time is also important for people who perform physical jobs.”

The good news is that more and more SMEs realise that fit employees are also more motivated and productive. For instance, 60% of employees say their employer is already taking initiatives to promote well-being and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Of the companies where this is already happening, 59% focus on physical activity. A bicycle allowance (63%) and collective sports challenges (45%) are the most popular for getting employees to exercise.
 

“The question is whether such initiatives also reach the employees who need them the most. All too often, well-intentioned sporting activities mainly reach sports enthusiasts who already get enough exercise. Employers should first discover what the expectations and interests are and then organise broad and accessible physical activities.

A subconscious helping hand can also be given by ‘nudging’ office life towards more physical activity. Small, subtle adjustments in the workplace can yield great results. Consider a pleasant stairwell, a less visible lift, or promoting company bikes as the first choice for internal movements,” says Dorien Simons. “In any case, it remains excellent that a majority of SMEs encourage exercise and even make room for it during working hours.”