Stress, lack of motivation, and burnout – the remedy is within employers’ reach

05 maja 2022

As many as 90% of Poles see the importance of physical activity in maintaining good mental condition. Despite this, according to the latest MultiSport Index 2022 survey, only 41% of working age people fulfil the recommendations of the World Health Organisation regarding the minimum level of physical activity in their everyday life. The same survey shows that non-financial benefits in the field of sport and recreation strongly motivate people to practice sport. As many as 79% of sports card holders are physically active. The key to tackling the problem of burnout is therefore in the employers’ hands.

The last two years of the pandemic were not the healthiest. Stress, recurring restrictions, social isolation, and often non-ergonomic working conditions at home affected not only the level of physical activity of employees but above all their health. During the pandemic as many as 72% of working age people who spend between seven and eight hours a day sitting experienced an increase in mental health problems and 59% – greater intensity of physical ailments. As shown by the latest MultiSport Index 2022 survey, the level of physical activity of Poles in the second year of the pandemic was 65%, which means a decrease by 3% compared to last year. The data is alarming: only 41% of people aged 18-64 meet the WHO recommendations regarding the level of physical activity. [1]

Physical activity as a recipe for employees’ health

The negative effects of stress resulting from the pandemic isolation or the process of accelerated adaptation of companies to new realities still have a significant impact on the wellbeing of entire teams. They are more and more often associated with demotivation, frustration, decreased concentration at work or disruption of the reasoning and decision-making process. Thus, the pandemic also contributed to the increase in the scale of occupational burnout. Almost half of employees in Poland struggle or may struggle with this problem. [2]

An important role in the context of counteracting these ailments is played by physical activity, which, as shown by the MultiSport Index 2022 survey, is being undertaken by Poles more and more often to support mental health. After two years of the pandemic, this change is particularly visible. In 2020, Poles exercised equally for physical health (23%), better body shape (23%) and wellbeing (24%) and now the main motivator to take up physical activity is mental health (42%).

Sports cards and the level of employees’ activity

Sports cards offered by employers are very important for the frequency and regularity of physical activity which contributes to the reduction of stress or better mood. According to the results of the MultiSport Index 2022 survey, the percentage of active holders of any sports card in Poland is 14% higher than in the whole society (79% vs. 65%). In the case of MultiSport cards, the first such benefit in Poland, this ratio is even higher and amounts to 99%. [3]

– In Poland, the MultiSport card, which is currently used by 940,000 people, has been playing an important role in supporting the active lifestyle of employees for almost 20 years. [4] We know from research that 91% of card holders treat this benefit as an important element of the employment offer and that it has a real impact on the level of physical activity: 99% of our users are physically active at least once a month, which is an increase by 34% in relation to the level of physical activity of the whole society. Moreover, 73% of MultiSport card holders admit that thanks to the card they exercise more often. This means approximately 700,000 people in Poland who, together with us, have developed the habit of regular exercise, which is extremely important today. This means that the entire city the size of Łódź is being encouraged to exercise more frequently. At the same time, in the MultiSport Index 2022 survey as many as 65% of respondents admitted that sport has a great impact on reducing stress and 57% agreed that it had a positive effect on a depressed mood. This is especially important in the current situation when the strained mental condition of employees is becoming one of the leading problems in organisations. In 2021, mental and behavioural disorders were the cause of over 25 million days of sick leave. Employers who offer sports cards can have a real impact on improving the physical condition and wellbeing of their employees, including reducing sickness absenteeism caused by health problems – comments Emilia Rogalewicz, Management Board Member at Benefit Systems.

The cost of a sedentary lifestyle

Diseases of affluence and damaged mental health translate into numerous sick leave as well as lower productivity of the staff. Employee absenteeism plus lower commitment and efficiency mean less potential and financial losses for the organisation.

– A few years ago, the costs of hypokinesis – low physical activity – among the residents of our country were estimated at over EUR 2 billion a year, which was equivalent to 8.4% of national health care expenditure. By investing in healthy behaviours of their employees and building a culture of physical activity, employers can not only realistically improve the health capital in the society but also reap specific benefits for themselves. For example, they can improve the long-term results of their organisation, its productivity and employee commitment. A measurable benefit is the reduction in the number of sickness absences – says Dr. Małgorzata Gałązka-Sobotka, Director of the Healthcare Management Institute at the Lazarski University.

The Institute for Structural Research estimates that a 10% increase in the percentage of Poles who meet the basic WHO recommendations regarding physical activity may translate into an improvement in employment rates as well as an approximately 2% decrease in absenteeism. This, in turn, may bring considerable savings for the economy, amounting to approximately PLN 1 billion. [5]

The results of research and economic analyses clearly show that the key to improving the health situation of the society may be in the hands of employers. By offering non-financial benefits in the field of sports and recreation, companies are not only promoting the active lifestyle of employees but also have an impact on the regularity and frequency of physical activity which in turn translates into better company results. One in four professionally active people believes that employers providing this type of benefits have a significant impact on the popularisation of physical activity. [6] In addition, two out of five decision-makers in companies in Poland believe that in the future the promotion of physical activity will be a key activity supporting the health of employees. [7]

Sandra Dobrowolska

Senior PR Specialist Benefit Systems

797 294 243

MultiSport Index is the first comprehensive survey of physical activity undertaken at least once a month and regular sports activity undertaken at least once a week of Poles conducted in Poland. The survey is commissioned by Benefit Systems and each time enhanced with a special part, which this year covers the impact of the pandemic and physical activity on the health and wellbeing of Poles. The Multisport Index 2022 survey was conducted by Kantar in cooperation with the Minds & Roses research company on 14-24 November 2021 on a representative random sample of 1,400 Poles over 18 years of age using the computer-assisted telephone interview technique (CATI).

MultiSport Programme is offered as part of non-financial benefits. It enables employees and their relatives to use over 25 sports disciplines in nearly 4,500 sports and recreational facilities located in 650 Polish cities. The MultiSport card is used by over a million users in Poland and abroad (Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia). Since 2021, the programme has also been developed on the Turkish market. The MultiSport mission is to activate all generations as well as to build awareness of a healthy and active lifestyle. More information on the MultiSport Programme can be found at www.kartamultisport.pl.

Benefit Systems has been operating on the Polish market for over two decades and is one of the leaders in providing non-financial benefits that support the wellbeing of employees. The company is the creator of the MultiSport Programme which allows its users to take up physical activity in sports facilities all over the country. The Benefit Systems portfolio also includes the MyBenefit cafeteria platform with the MyBenefit Active gamification module as well as the MultiLife wellbeing program which comprehensively meets the needs related to a healthy and active lifestyle of employees. For several years now the company’s sports offer has been developed on foreign markets, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. An important area of Benefit Systems’ activities is promoting an active lifestyle at every stage of life, which is why the company implements initiatives supporting physical activity of children, adults, and seniors. Since 2018, Benefit Systems has been a part of the global B Corp initiative bringing together companies involved in solving the most important social problems. More information on the company can be found at www.benefitsystems.pl.

Sources:

[1] WHO recommendations on the physical activity level [2] “Burnout in the spotlight” report

[3] A survey conducted by Benefit Systems among 7,000 MultiSport Programme users in August 2021

[4] https://biuroprasowe.benefitsystems.pl/180183-benefit-systems-z-bardzo-dobrymi-wynikami-finansowymi-w-iv-kwartale-2021-r-oraz-wysoka-dynamika-sprzedazy-kart-sportowych-w-polsce

[5] E. Biernat, W. Drygas, „Ekonomiczne i społeczne koszty niedostatecznej aktywności fizycznej Polaków” (Economic and social costs of insufficient physical activity of Poles), (in) Niedostateczny poziom aktywności fizycznej w Polsce jako zagrożenie i wyzwanie dla zdrowia publicznego (Insufficient level of physical activity in Poland as a threat and a challenge to public health), edited by W. Drygas, M. Gajewska, T. Zdrojewski, Report of the Public Health Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, National Institute of Public Health

[6] MultiSport Index 2022

[7] Health Capital Report, 2020