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New NICE guidance urges employers to provide bike storage to tackle obesity

Businesses would benefit from more productive employees who would be less likely to take time off sick says health watchdog

New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) urges employers to ensure offices have adequate bike storage and changing facilities. The organisation says this would encourage more physical activity and so help combat obesity. Another recommendation is that employees be offered subsidised spinning classes during their lunch breaks.

Roughly two-thirds of people in the UK are either overweight or obese, reports ITV. NICE also believes that the 15.4 million working days lost to stress, depression and anxiety in 2017-18 could be greatly reduced if employers took a more active role in promoting physical wellbeing.

“Workplaces that have physical activity programmes to support employees to move more when travelling to and from work and during the working day will positively increase physical activity levels,” reads the guidance. “This may help to reduce staff absenteeism levels, increase staff satisfaction and improve the workplace environment.”

Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive and director of health and social care at NICE, said: “If the United Kingdom’s 5.7 million small and medium sized businesses encouraged their workforce to be more active, they are more likely to reap the benefits of having engaged employees who are more productive and are less likely to take time off sick.

“Simple things like providing secure bicycle storage, showers and changing facilities can go a long way to enabling people to cycle to work or to meetings.

“As a society we are facing an obesity crisis caused in part by people not exercising enough. We need people to change their lifestyle and to take more exercise.

“If they can do this during the working day, not only will they benefit, but so too will their employers and the NHS. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Dr Andy Cope, director of insight at Sustrans, added: “Cycling and walking to and from work is one of the best ways to incorporate physical activity into our lives.

“In 2017 alone, walking and cycling on the National Cycle Network prevented 630 early deaths and averted nearly 8,000 serious long-term health conditions, with more than 56 per cent of the journeys taken being for functional reasons, such as travelling to work, taking children to school, visiting shops and friends.

“We encourage all employers and their workforces to embrace the Nice quality standard and make physical activity an easy, attractive and practical choice for everyone.”

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said that exercise could have a hugely positive impact on physical and mental health. “We would urge employers to seek to swiftly implement these recommendations in some capacity as ultimately, a healthy workforce will be a more productive, and hopefully happier one.”

The NICE guidance recommends offering staff access to Cycle to Work schemes and suggests providing a pool of bicycles for short‑distance business travel.

It also suggests providing information about walking and cycling routes, including public transport options, details on the distances involved and cycle parking availability.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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9 comments

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Christopher TR1 | 4 years ago
2 likes

"You can a ride a bike or run or whatever but if you eat excessively your going to get fat."

Not so sure about that, I love stuffing my face. Crisps, choc, curry, burgers, chips... in it all goes, stuff, stuff, stuff. But I'm always lean. Presumably due to cycling approx 400km per week, although possibly not eating meat helps.

Wouldn't these fatties be happier if they started excessive cycling? They could then enjoy eating even more!  1 But then they wouldn't be fatties anymore....

 

Avatar
Xena | 4 years ago
0 likes

Stop shoving so much food down your face and you won’t get fat . Simple . 

You can a ride a bike or run or whatever but if you eat excessively your going to get fat . Every time you shove that pie down your face or pile down the biscuits ( mmm custard creams ) you may as well rub them straight on your thighs and muffin belly .  

Fat people stop complaining and stop eating so much and take responsibility for yourself instead of making excuses. Truth hurts only if your fat or wrong . 

 

Avatar
Chougher replied to Xena | 4 years ago
3 likes

Xena wrote:

Stop shoving so much food down your face and you won’t get fat . Simple . 

Not actually how it works, but you seem to be very angry and not really up to speed with the latest in dietary thinking

Xena wrote:

You can a ride a bike or run or whatever but if you eat excessively your going to get fat . Every time you shove that pie down your face or pile down the biscuits ( mmm custard creams ) you may as well rub them straight on your thighs and muffin belly .  

Again, not actually how it works. God you must be messy to invite over for a meal, and no wonder you don’t understand how people get fat. 

Xena wrote:

Fat people stop complaining and stop eating so much and take responsibility for yourself instead of making excuses. Truth hurts only if your fat or wrong . 

 

 

its about time that road.cc did something about the rampant fatphobia in their comment section. Being a bit round and enjoying cycling never stopped a MAMIL from going out on their 3k cycle, and we shouldn’t have wankers in the comment section shaming people for having curves. 

Avatar
dodpeters | 4 years ago
2 likes

Given that most people think that cycling is too dangerous to be worth considering the potential for bike racks and showers to improve the situation is going to be rather limited.

No mention of safer conditions on the roads though...

Avatar
burtthebike | 4 years ago
3 likes

To be fair,  NICE is right, and those things can make a difference, but they still wouldn't persuade most drivers to give up their car.  We need a far more comprehensive package of measures; 100x the current spend on cycling, driver education, law reform, and a less blatantly biased media.

I've lost count of the number of pro-cycling studies and press releases over the past ten years, none of which get the slightest mention in the msm, but electric cars, or a possible cure for cancer in ten years time and they're all over it.

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Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
0 likes

Ironic since most modern sit down jobs are a major factor in obesity.

How about employers stop their catering providers serving up Greggs level garbage?

Avatar
Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
0 likes

Ironic since most modern sit down jobs are a major factor in obesity.

How about employers stop their catering providers serving up Greggs level garbage?

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
1 like

Rick_Rude wrote:

Ironic since most modern sit down jobs are a major factor in obesity. How about employers stop their catering providers serving up Greggs level garbage?

For contractors to survive even in factories that have a high % of working class people on not big incomes the food has to be half decent at the very least. If it's not then you lose the contract pretty damn quickly not to mention don't have people eating in the building because people are far more discerning these days.

I don't know where you've worked but I can tell you as a fact with 30+ years in the industry that your comment is massively wide of the mark and frankly an insult to the vast majority of the contract catering  industry that I know and have experienced with many different companies at all levels.

Where the operations are particularly in bigger towns and cities, the food offer is both plentiful and varied, so contractors have to compete against that directly and give not just VfM but provide quality food otherwise people simply eat elsewhere. The days of the subsidised 'canteen' are pretty much non existent so quality/pricing wise has to go hand in hand to get people to eat the on site food as opposed to elsewhere.

In any case it's a bullshit excuse because no-one is forcing anyone to eat unhealthily nor excessively. 

Avatar
Shades | 4 years ago
2 likes

Hmm...worked at a place that had a locked shed (with racks) for bikes (right next to the office).  Number of bikes in there for an office of approx 50 people; 2 at most.  Showers could have been a bit better.  Car park full with people moaning about space; they just came in earlier to beat the traffic and get a space.

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