Higher earners tend to work out at the gym about three times more than those on lower incomes, according to a survey.
The study, by Nuffield Health, found the top earners spent on average almost three hours a week hitting the gym while people on less than £20,000 a year were in the gym for barely an hour a week.
The charity, which polled 1,600 people, said keeping fit and healthy can benefit performance at work.
There are lots of ways exercise programmes can be incorporated at work – whether it’s allowing mobile working so staff can visit the gym or setting up exercise equipment in serviced offices.
The research found those workers earning above £31,000 work out at the gym just over twice as long as those earning under £20,000.
Separate research by a US university has found that people exercising three times a week could expect to earn a salary between six and nine per cent greater than those who do not.
“Evidence tells us that keeping fit and healthy can benefit your performance at work, which may in turn impress the boss and help secure that much-wanted promotion,” Chris Jones, head of physiology at Nuffield Health, said.
“By doing regular exercise you help manage work-related pressures and help put in a better performance by better preparing your body for times of stress.”
By allowing your employees to work out you could be improving absenteeism. Nuffield cited research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development that found the average UK employee takes 6.5 days of absence per year, amounting to a total loss of 190 million working days.
Each year, businesses lose on average £600 per employee as a result of absenteeism and sickness.
