For employees who spend their working days in London office space, the commute is likely to be one of the more stressful parts of their day.
Whether they take the Tube, the bus or drive through the traffic to work, they are likely to be faced with crowds, delays and cost on a daily basis.
By the time they get to work, they may feel in no frame of mind to get their head down and work hard – at least for the first half hour or so.
For many employees, a stressful commute is part and parcel of the working day, but this is not the case for everyone.
Those who live in the capital, closer to their place of work, have the option of ditching the short bus or train ride into the office and heading in under their own steam.
And for those who do choose to walk to and from the workplace, there could be a range of benefits.
Aside from the obvious cost advantage – walking being free, even in the City – there is a growing school of thought that light exercise helps bring the best out of office employees.
Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Living Streets, is one advocate of walking to work, claiming that people who exercise regularly are more productive, happier and suffer less stress than those who do not.
He commented that walking is “one of the simplest forms of exercise” and can be slotted into even the busiest of days.
Mr Armstrong said Walk to Work Week – which is running from May 14th to May 18th – is the perfect opportunity for employees to change their commuting habits.
“It doesn’t have to be the whole way, but try getting off the bus a stop or two earlier, taking a stroll at lunch time or even holding a walking meeting,” he stated.
“This time away from your desk will leave you refreshed and ready for the day ahead – people who walk regularly during the working day have reported higher energy levels, reduced stress levels, decreased levels of illness and improved feelings of wellbeing.”
All this contributes to productivity in the workplace, Mr Armstrong stated.
He noted that people do not need any special equipment to get started – they simply need to put on a comfortable pair of shoes and put one foot in front of the other.
