Why We Work Out at Work (It Works)

At 11:45 a.m. daily, Diane, fondly known as Di-Di, makes an intercom announcement that our lunch time workout is about to start. Hustle ensues as the MOSSA HQ Team makes their way to the locker rooms. There is music playing in the girls’ room and lots of laughing. I can’t say the same for the boys’ room…but let’s suffice to say, I hear there is lots of banter. At noon sharp, we get moving. 

About 5 years ago, we decided to make lunchtime workouts a part of our team’s workday, paying them to work out. We do a MOSSA program, like Group Power, Fight, Ride, or 3D30, each day at lunchtime, so it isn’t just “working out.” It is working out in a group at lunchtime. It’s on our calendars, blocked off, and is part of our work day.  

With this one decision, we essentially cut our employees’ “desk time” down by 5 hours per week. Are you doing the math, thinking that in one fell swoop we effectively lost 5 hours of productivity, multiplied by each employee? That couldn’t be further from the truth. We improved productivity and we gained so, so, much more! We consider it an investment in our on-going, every day commitment to workplace wellness. Some companies send health-themed newsletters. Some, I am sure, buy blenders for breakrooms or provide healthy snack options. All these are fine and good … but we know there are some amazing benefits to setting aside time for our team to not just work together, but to work out together. 

Team Building 

I am sure you have heard multiple versions of the “plays together…stays together” quote. The MOSSA interpretation is, “A team that plays together…stays together.” Yes, our “playtime” is our workout time. When you walk into the group room before the workout starts, the staff is talking and laughing, chatting about our weekend, our kids, or even business. It is “water cooler” conversation at a new level! We now know that when we are around each other, looking each other in the eyes, letting our “work” guards down, and sweating together, we care more about each other. In work and in our workouts, this caring translates to: “I want to do my best for my teammates.”  

And it is important to note that we are not a team made up exclusively of “fitness fanatics.” We are really a regular corporate office. We have accounting, marketing, customer service, sales, IT, and warehouse people as well. We’re not all fitness fanatics, but the team are all fans of fitness! 

Ina (Motion Graphic Designer) said, “The lunchtime workouts give me an opportunity to connect with my coworkers on a more personal level that is encouraging and supportive. It also gives us something to talk about that doesn’t feel work-related.” 

Productivity and Focus 

If you want to get real about productivity, read the book Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. He states, “There is a broad body of evidence that shows when people run around – or engage in any form of exercise – their ability to focus improves.”  

A Harvard Business Review article titled Regular Exercise is Part of Your Job, stated “…Our mental firepower is directly linked to our physical regimen. And nowhere are the implications more relevant than to our performance at work.” It is undeniable that productivity and exercise are correlated, and we agree whole heartedly with this sentiment, describing what we think is the very essence of workplace wellness: “…instead of viewing exercise as something we do for ourselves – a personal indulgence that takes us away from our work – it’s part of the work itself.”  

Aubry (Programming Supervisor) said, “After my noon workouts, I find that I have better focus and can get so much more work done, especially when compared to a day when I not able to work out. And by the way…that typical afternoon slump I used to get on the daily has completely gone away!” 

Nic (Senior Accountant) said, “Workouts at MOSSA give me energy to make it through the workday. There is a point in each day when my mind starts to wander, and I cannot remain focused on the task at hand. Then I do a workout in the middle of the day, and I become energized. It’s like having two mini-workdays (morning session/afternoon session) as opposed to one long, grueling one!” 

Improved Office Mood 

It goes without saying that exercise elevates mood and, because our staff get to work out at work, we are generally a happy workforce! A heightened sense of wellbeing goes a very long way in building interpersonal skills and fostering more productive collaborations. Not to mention that getting exercise out of the way during the workday helps us feel more productive and accomplished. 

Di Di (MOSSA GO Engagement & Support) said, “The lunchtime workouts at MOSSA can be the best attitude adjustment (or pick me up) at just the right time!” 

A Healthy Workforce 

Yes, we are healthier! While we never stamped lunchtime workouts as our “corporate wellness program,” guess what? We rarely have reported sick days and, because of employees’ consistently healthy or increasingly healthy lifestyles, they rarely suffer from chronic health conditions. In fact, MOSSA recently received a rebate (a full month’s premium) from our company’s insurance provider thanks to the overall health of our team. Additionally, MOSSA chose to reclassify employee “sick days” as “flex days” since so few employees require time off for sickness. 

Energy and Atmosphere! 

Our workouts are the pulse, the heartbeat of our office. There is a palpable energy and atmosphere that the workouts create. We bond over burned out biceps and we connect over crushing our cardio!   

Kelly (Program Developer) said, “The lunchtime workouts help to foster a more creative and productive workday. I’m happier and feel more energized after my workout and my quality of work increases and gives me a feeling of accomplishment.” 

Social Motion

The Blue Zones Article, Social Motion Boosts Performance and Connection, stated: “Evidence suggests that synchronizing movement with others leads to feelings of togetherness or oneness.” The article also stated how crucial this idea of social motion might be in a world where social isolation is on the rise and that, “Social motion can provide us with the buzz necessary to reverse cycles of social and physical inactivity, bringing us closer to one another, and closer to the physical and mental health we require to thrive.” 

We saw this in action when Covid hit. If you asked the team what they missed most, by far it was the workouts and the team. We all missed our social motion! 

Tracey (Program Development Support) said, “I am so grateful for getting to work out at work! Apart from the obvious health reasons, I love being able to sweat and smile and be silly with my work family. Workouts at work make the week whiz by!” 

Healthy Peer Pressure 

One of our foundational beliefs is that working out in groups helps people to stick with exercise and it makes exercise more enjoyable. So yes, there is a little healthy peer pressure at MOSSA. If anyone is notably absent from the lunchtime workouts, they will be given a little jab in the ribs: “Where were you today, Tony?” And the fact that everyone is going to work out helps you to shake that “I don’t feel like working out” feeling that we all have from time to time. It takes less starting inertia, something that can use up a lot of our motivation fuel. When you are just going with the flow, like everyone else in the office, you get to preserve that fuel for other important tasks.

MOSSA has been trumpeting the tune for years and years (and years…) about the many benefits of moving, from increasing productivity to being in a better mood. But our step from awareness to instigation wasn’t an overnight decision. Ultimately, it became a case of “put your money where your mouth is.” Sure, it was easy to talk the talk about all the benefits of exercise; it was much harder to decide to pay our employees to do it. Yet, once we started to walk the walk, we never looked back! 

Now, daily workouts are part of our DNA, and we wouldn’t have it any other way, because every day we reap the extraordinary benefits of a thriving, active team! 

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If you want to boost employee wellness and reap the benefits of an active workforce, offer MOSSA On Demand, a comprehensive library of at-home (or at-work!) exercise and recovery options. With MOSSA, your corporate wellness program can include workouts in every major category of fitness, in durations from 10 to 60 minutes, plus work-ins like De-Desk® Your Body and TLC. To learn more about becoming a corporate partner and special workplace wellness pricing, reach out to our team.