Charlotte Foster

I work with companies to support employee engagement and performance in the workplace by teaching them the benefits and practical skills of running safely outside.

About

I’ve seen all this for myself.  After going out for lunchtime runs on my own, other colleagues began asking  if they could join. So I started my own unofficial lunchtime running club at work. I called it RunchClub and the Instagram account we set up for it still exists!  

We ran for 30 minutes in our lunch hour and all came back feeling energised. On running days we noticed we didn’t have that 3pm slump. It also helped me chat to colleagues I didn’t spend a lot of time with during my working day. 

With people now working 90,000 hours across their lifetime – good physical health is no longer a nice to have, it is an essential part of employer offerings and hugely reduces stress related absence, increases immunity and creates positive team cultures in competitive environments.

Other benefits of running outside include:

– Being proven to lower stress levels and support people’s mental and physical health. 

– Runners who exercise in nature feel less anxious, less depressed, less angry and more relaxed which translates into them being able to be happier, more productive versions of themselves in the workplace.

With fewer than half of all employees say they are faring well at work and younger employees burning out regularly, employers are turning to wellness related initiatives that help them to recruit and retain new employees in challenging work environments.

In the Professional Services Industry alone, the wellness figures leave ample room for improving physical and mental health so that employees can increase their performance without increasing burnout scores.

• Accounting: 40% faring well, 30% reporting burnout.
• Legal and marketing: only 45% faring well.
• Banking: 50% faring well, 25% reporting burnout.

The combination of high workload, high demands and sitting down in front of a screen contributes to lower wellbeing and that leads to burnout. This huge cost of burnout is seen in employee productivity dropping, increasing sick days and leaving their roles entirely.

Combined with digital overload (and working full time at screens) employees are left in constantly stressed states. Workplaces cannot change this – because we need employees to fulfil key roles… but workplaces can add a fun, wellness related activity that encourage digital downtime to drive higher performance and achievement.

The ASICS “Movement for Mind: project showed clinically significant improvements in mental wellbeing, low mood and anxiety. In fact 71% of participants felt happier after the 8 week programme.

It’s also been shown to improve attention span, reduce mental fatigue and help your brain process information. 

Unplugging from screens and getting outside is also a great booster for creativity and problem solving which significantly supports professional services staff to produce key client results.

Not only that but investing in employee health leads to improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, and enhanced engagement. 

• Happier employees are 13% more productive 
• Wellbeing interventions such as running programmes are linked to productivity improvements of 10 – 21%

Healthier employees are more resilient and adaptive. They’re also better equipped to handle workplace challenges and changes. And that means fewer sick days and better retention.

Running is a great way to boost team building and intergenerational relationships through running together. As an England Athletics registered running coach (CiRF, Assistant Coach, LiRF.) I’m here to help organisations to assess needs, goals and workloads to build inclusive running programmes that support employees to build critical relationships, problem solve creatively and perform at their best.

I focus particularly on building sustainable long term habits that are beneficial to the employee and the company’s overall employee satisfaction scores, recruitment initiatives and retention plans.

Whilst running programmes don’t seem a stereotypical solution for wellness and productivity related issues… the statistics show a very different picture. Enquire today through the contact form below and see how in person, virtual or hybrid programme options can support long-term productivity, performance and burnout prevention in your company.