Walking on a treadmill may increase employee’s overall work performance, according to a study released by Calson School of Management on Monday.
The study followed 40 employees in a financial services company for one year to explore how the availability of treadmill workstations affected their performance and interactions with coworkers.
According to the study, the participants experienced “a significantly favorable impact on both physical activity and work performance.”
The study measured the quantity and quality of the employee’s work. Each week, employees were asked to rate their own performances. Supervisors would also rate the performance of their employees.
On a 1-10 scale, employees who used the treadmills rated their own overall performance 0.69 points higher when compared to working while sedentary, and supervisors rated employee performance 1.11 points higher, the study said.
Employee performance initially declined in the first 24 weeks, before performance increased, which the researchers attribute to participants learning how to adjust to walking while working.