Does your organisation have a workplace wellness program?  With absenteeism costing Australian business over 7 billion dollars every year, keeping employees happy and healthy is becoming a top priority for workplaces across the country.

And it’s not just smoking and obesity that we need to worry about. As the sedentary lifestyle of desk-bound workers reaches epidemic proportions, encouraging employees to get more physically active is now one of the hottest topics on the corporate agenda.

The World Health Organisation now lists physical inactivity as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally.  With these type of statistics it’s not hard to see why sitting is considered the new smoking.

Recent medical studies highlight sitting for prolonged periods increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and death. An average 10 million Australians spend 77% of their 8-hour work day sitting at a desk. This level of inactivity is causing serious health concerns for employees.

One business owner who realised the importance of encouraging staff to take time out of their day to be active, is Employment Office Managing Director Tudor Marsden-Huggins. To encourage staff to get away from their desks and get moving, Marsden-Huggins established Tour de Office, a continuous cycling relay that takes place on a stationary bike right in the office.

“We came up with Tour de Office because the statistics of sedentary workers suffering chronic disease from being inactive are truly alarming.  We must promote and create awareness of the importance of a healthy work/life balance,” he said.

“It’s an annual charity event and workplace health initiative which sees staff ride stationary bikes in workplaces to raise funds for their charity of choice.  Now in it’s fifth year, 21 workplaces participated in the event in 2015 and raised over $150,000 for worthy causes.

“Tour de Office is unique because not only does it raise awareness of the importance of getting up off your chair to get moving, it also brings both entry level and executive staff together for a great cause,” Marsden- Huggins said.

According to Dale Tanner, chairman of Australia’s first workplace wellness conference, other organisational offerings like gym memberships and healthy cooking classes are really only scratching the surface. Tanner says companies need to initiate true change in their organisational settings.

“We know that really successful workplace wellness programs have all levels of management on board, signed up and participating,” he said.

So what can you do to promote an active lifestyle for your staff?  To get the most out of your team, management must lead by example. Without spending a cent, leaders can bring running shoes to work and take positive actions such as walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator, or having meetings while walking around the block.

However, if you want to instil long term changes in your organisation it’s necessary to invest in a sustainable workplace wellness program. If you ensure an effective program is an organisational priority this financial year you’ll soon experience the rewards of a happier and healthier workforce.

To find out more about Tour de Office, visit tourdeoffice.com