Workplace health research within the NCSEM-EM looks at a range of ways people can be more active throughout the working day, from incorporating an active commute or standing more at work to engaging in team sports and other activities with colleagues.
We have also evaluated workplace health initiatives to assess their effectiveness in getting people more active and improving health and wellbeing.
Return to Work toolkit
NCSEM-EM and Loughborough University’s Dr Fehmidah Munir has helped to develop a new online guide which allows employers and staff to talk about mental health.
The Return to Work Toolkit gives bosses and their employees information, downloadable material and advice on how best to approach absences and returns due to stress, anxiety or depression.
SHIFT study
SHIFT, or Structured Health Intervention For Truckers, is a programme developed by NCSEM-EM researchers at Loughborough University, University of Leicester and Leicester’s Hospitals to help truckers lead healthier lives.
Lorry drivers on the programme attend interactive education sessions about healthy eating and physical activity, are provided with physical activity monitors to track their movement and engage in ‘step count challenges’ with other drivers. They are also given exercise equipment and a workout routine that can be used in their cabs at service stations and other resting places.
Reducing sitting time boosts office staff’s work engagement and wellbeing
It is widely known that sitting down for long periods of time, even for those who do some exercise regularly, can lead to poor health. Teams from the University of Leicester and Loughborough University wanted to investigate simple solutions to reducing sitting time in the office.
The research, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), found that giving height-adjustable workstations to staff, alongside a brief education seminar, posters and providing feedback on sitting behaviour (i.e., the SMArT Work programme), reduced sitting time and increased standing whilst at work, which resulted in lots of work and wellbeing benefits.
Table tennis in the workplace associated with workplace wellbeing
NCSEM-EM research has found that playing table tennis in the workplace is positively associated with employee wellbeing. Loughborough University’s Dr Florence Kinnafick worked with Table Tennis England, as part of their Loop at Work programme, to explore the impact of playing table tennis at work on employee job satisfaction, workplace wellbeing, physical activity levels and general wellbeing.