Many of us spend so many hours at work that fitting in exercise can seem almost impossible. That's why some forward-thinking companies are combining work time and health time, offering employees opportunities to incorporate exercise and healthy living into their jobs.
One of those companies is SAS Incorporated, a computer software company where employees are offered Fruit Bowl Mondays.
The Toronto company is at the forefront of what some hope is a new trend in the workplace: employers offering fitness and wellness programs free to employees through the workday. Those wellness programs include massages, yoga classes, and a fitness room.
SAS is not the only company making fitness a focus. Architectural and engineering firm Barry Bryan Associates, in Whitby, Ont., encourages employees to get moving with an on-site gym.
It's an investment company officials say is paying off.
"They seem to be healthier and happy," office manager Debbie Thompson says of the employees. "When they arrive at work they are awake and alert and they have lots of energy."
But many companies don't buy into this trend; many think fitness is something employees should do on their own time and that work time is for just for working. That's an outdated perspective, says fitness scientist Mark Tremblay of the CHEO Research Institute.
"These corporations, they are missing the point. When you get the body moving, you are more creative more productive, and healthier."
Studies also suggest that keeping workers active leads to lower absenteeism and lower employee costs.
"So it really is good for the bottom line. We have a low turnover rate. Currently, we are sitting at 4 or 5 per cent. The industry standard is 22 per cent," says Suzanne Sprajcar Beldycki of SAS Canada.
But for now, these companies remain the exception in helping their employees stay healthy at home and at work.
Avis Favaro reports on some Canadian companies that could set the pace by setting a new role model for employers across the country.
With a report from CTV medical specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
