Boss Wants You To Be A Sporting Legend In Your Own Lunchtime
Sun Herald
Sunday November 21, 2004
FINDING a balance between work and exercise is always easier said than done.
While Prime Minister John Howard holds the most important job in Australia, he still makes time each day for an early morning walk. But for the rest of us, fitting exercise into the day can be a struggle.Many companies are taking matters into their own hands to ensure employees are working out enough.In Sydney, AMP and ING have set up gyms and employed full-time gym managers, making it far more convenient for staff to sweat it out.The reason for this is most managers know that staff who exercise regularly perform much better at work.ING senior executive John Suter said: "If you have time for exercise, you'll actually be more productive in the time you work."He runs fives time a week and visits the gym when he can find time.He said encouraging staff to compete in sporting events or work out in the gym broke down the work hierarchy and staff from different units could interact. "It's a leveller," he said. ING's gym manager Richard High said of the company's 1800 employees, 500 were gym members. "They can leave their desk and five minutes later they are on a treadmill," he said. "You have to try and make it easier for your staff."Gym membership costs staff about $8 a week and they can participate in Pilates, yoga and from next year, meditation.Mr High said exercise was an effective way of releasing stress from work. "We have a boxing class and, depending on the day, you can see the frustration being let out," he said.Business heavyweights who find the time to stay fit include Don Clark, head of British Airways in Australia, and NSW Treasury secretary John Pierce. Despite their hectic workloads, both are keen runners.Lunchtime sports including touch football and six-a-side soccer have taken off and Bob Turner, general manager of Sporting Spectrum, said the demand was increasing each year.Mr Turner said in the 10 years Sporting Spectrum had been organising lunchtime sports, staff from 460 companies had participated.He said about 2500 employees play lunchtime sports each week, at six business districts across Sydney. "A lot of people just want to get out of the office," he said.In the past month, Mr Turner has organised sporting days for large companies such as Nokia and CitiBank.Participation in annual running events such as the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge have also increased.The challenge, held earlier this month, has grown 166 per cent from 2180 to 5793 competitors since the inaugural run in Sydney five years ago, with 281 companies entering this year.WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?Popular lunchtime team sports for fitness-conscious workers include volleyball, touch football, six-a-side soccer, netball, softball and Oztag.
© 2004 Sun Herald