Work out or walk out

Employee exercise mandatory for Swedish sportswear retailer

Work out or walk out
Group employee workouts are popular at some firms in Sweden. Pressmaster/Shutterstock

 

STOCKHOLM — Workouts are popular at some firms in Sweden in a bid to improve productivity, according to the Daily Mail.

Employees at sportswear retailer Bjorn Borg, for example, leave their desks every Friday for a weekly workout at a nearby gym — and it’s mandatory.

“If you don’t want to exercise or be a part of the company culture, you have to go,” said CEO Henrik Bunge.

A 2014 study from the University of Stockholm found exercising during the workday made employees healthier and more concentrated, while reducing absences.

“There’s this idea that you’ll be healthy, strong and happy if you get a lot of exercise, if you spend a lot of time in nature,” said Carl Cederstrom, economics researcher at Stockholm University.

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