NICE – Physically active travel in the workplace
Travel offers an important opportunity to help people become more physically active. However, inactive modes of transport have increasingly dominated in recent years. In England, schemes to encourage people to opt for more physically active forms of travel (such as walking and cycling) are 'patchy'.
Encourage employees to walk, cycle or use another mode of transport involving physical activity to travel part or all of the way to and from work (for example, by developing a travel plan).
Help employees to be physically active during the working day by:
- where possible, encouraging them to move around more at work (for example, by walking to external meetings)
- providing information about walking and cycling routes and encouraging them to take short walks during work breaks
- encouraging them to set goals on how far they walk and cycle and to monitor the distances they cover.
Take account of the nature of the work and any health and safety issues. For example, many people already walk long distances during the working day, while those involved in shift work may be vulnerable if walking home alone at night.