Steps > Planning Workplace Physical Activity > Step 4: Finding out What Employees Want and Need
To succeed in encouraging physical activity during the workday, you must find out what employees need and want. They are the people whose behaviour you are trying to influence, so it’s vital to understand their needs and gain their support.
The Employee Survey
Ask employees questions that allow you to assess such key characteristics as age, gender, social relationships, family responsibilities and current physical activity participation.
It’s important to know this information so that your physical activity initiative meets employees’ needs. Employees aren’t going to participate in something they’re not interested in.
Ask employees what they want, and then implement changes that fit with their needs and working conditions. For example, employees may not want to do activities that make them sweat, because they do not want to shower at work.
Ask employees what the organization could do to make it easier for them to be more physically active during the workday. If there’s a common trend throughout your organization, a single change could affect a lot of people.
For example, suppose a large group shows interest in biking to work. They may want to shower and change after their commute. You might give priority to installing workplace showers and changing facilities. Secure bike storage might be important as well.
If you’re launching a program that requires going outside, start in the spring. As the program becomes more established in warmer months, it will be easier to keep it going during the winter.
Involving employees is vital to increasing physical activity participation rates. People are more willing to participate in and support physical activity initiatives when they are involved in decision making.
The following tips will help you produce your own employee interest survey:
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Keep it short (no longer than 10 minutes to complete).
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Let employees know why you are doing the survey.
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Rather than using all open-ended questions, which can be long and difficult to analyze, ask people to choose from a drop-down list of possible responses.
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Ask the most important questions at the beginning.
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Ask for comments and suggestions in one open-ended question at the end.
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Make it confidential and anonymous. Do not request information that may identify a person.
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If you’re including a list of potential programs or environmental changes, be sure your workplace has the facilities and resources to offer them.
Find out More
Catalogue of Situational Assessment Tools (Comprehensive Workplace Health Promotion): A resource from the Health Communication Unit at the Centre for Health Promotion, University of Toronto. At this link, you can learn more about assessment tools that have been reviewed.
Recommended and Promising Practices for Situational Assessment Tools (Comprehensive Workplace Health Promotion): A resource from the Health Communication Unit at the Centre for Health Promotion, University of Toronto. Refer to page 10 to learn more about conducting an assessment of your workplace.
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