BE ACTIVE AT WORK
Poured by
Aneta Perevska
Office work is associated with sterile environment where one cannot hear anything else, but the sound of keyboard tapping and the silent sighs of the employees, who by coincidence seem to hate Monday, and cannot wait for the Friday to come and just live for the moment to hear the clock strike marking the end of a work day. For many people, these 8 working hours refer to that part of the day when one is “stuck” to their chair and all communication is done via Internet. However, this well-known scene is becoming a past. At least for some.
Large and progressive companies worldwide, but also in our country are in the forward line disapproving such stereotypes and they offer recreational, fun and above all, motivating work environment to their employees. Probably the most famous example for such genuine and relaxing offices is that of Google.
This company has invested a lot of money and has put a lot of effort to design the perfect work environment and dexterously knows how to link business, pleasure and physical activity, something that so far has been almost unimaginable. There, at every corner one could find a canteen with a wide choice of healthy food, every employee is provided with his/her own space to express his/her creativity, and there are also separate facilities for doing exercise, even for taking a siesta when the work pressure is too high.
When it comes to recreational facility at work, we could not but mention the giant Facebook and their genuine approach towards employee motivation. There, they conduct regular polls in which the employees themselves express the ways they want to entertain or relax at work, and what they lack, which results in an enormous open work spaces, unusual rooms for relaxation and listening to music, as well as, offices with vivid colors.
Proofs that this practice is not a futile investment are the scientific studies which have shown that the power of the mind is directly linked to the regime of physical activity. In other words, doing exercises regularly improves your concentration, sharpens your memory, helps you learn faster, increases your creativity, reduces stress and boosts your mood.
So where we can best verify all said if not at our workplace. This was also a matter of interest for the scientists from Leeds Metropolitan University whose study involved over 200 employees in various companies owning exercise facility. The results identified far more efficiency in the days when the respondents did exercise during working hours. Then, they were more productive, had a better communication with colleagues, and most importantly they left their workplace satisfied.
Being aware of these benefits, some Macedonian companies have already began to implement this practice, offering to their employees ideal work conditions to increase productivity, improve their physical and mental health, as well as, their socialization. Certainly, one of them is Pivara Skopje (Skopje Brewery). I have had the opportunity to visit this company and see how they remain active.
The staff could really speak well of having the right entertainment conditions, because they have the opportunity to relax (and honestly to boost competitive spirit) by playing a table football game, table tennis or darts during breaks at work. This means that whenever they feel overloaded or fatigue, they may rest from their responsibilities by “escaping” in the entertainment room. While those who do not have such a competitive spirit, can work on their fan spirit or simply spend some time socializing with colleagues who they do not have the opportunity to see quite often.
Pivarci (as Pivara’s employees often tend to call themselves) are among the few who have the opportunity to work for a company that strives to activate employees and share its love towards recreation and sports activities, that is, to bring about enhancing their physical condition and health state, even outside working hours. Namely, twice a week, each of the employees could go to a spa, go swimming, do aerobics, go to the gym and even measure swords with other colleagues in basketball and football. All of this is available at the Sports Center “Jane Sandanski”. This is the way to build a corporate team with a healthy body and a healthy mind. This is the way to establish a better relationship among colleagues.
The implementation of these fun and physically active breaks reflects onto the employees’ performance, thus Pivara Skopje (Brewery’s Skopje) may boast about its excellent teams, increased productivity and creativity, but also about new ideas that serve as “refreshment” for the market and consumers.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and do not necessarily represent the views of Pivara Skopje.
