Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Employers encouraged to boost lockdown productivity by introducing walking breaks

Students take a walk on Don Road, Aberdeen.
Students take a walk on Don Road, Aberdeen.

Employers are being told to encourage staff to take walking breaks and even consider a “fake commute” to alleviate work-from-home fatigue.

Scottish charity Paths For All and Public Health Minister Mairi Gougeon are asking business owners to find ways of enabling their employees to spend more time away from screens.

It comes after research from University College London found two-fifths of people are doing less exercise now than during the initial March 2020 lockdown.

Additionally, academics learned many people are finding it much tougher to cope with the current restrictions than those imposed in the past.

Ms Gougeon, who is also the MSP for Angus North and Mearns, said: “The current restrictions, on top of shorter days and poor weather are all having an impact on our wellbeing at the moment.

“But taking a break from work to get some fresh air and get moving is one of the best ways to boost your mood, and keep fit.

“Right now it’s more important than ever to find time to focus on your health and wellbeing, and I’d encourage all employers to get involved and do what they can to support people.

“There are lots of creative ways to encourage home workers to stay physically active, such as introducing fun challenges or sharing resources.”

Paths For All says physical activity can reduce anxiety and depression and alleviate negative moods.

The organisation found it can also boost cognitive function, with those active during the working day deemed more productive.

Chief officer Ian Findlay said: “We must do what we can to keep Scotland moving, safely and responsibly, throughout this lockdown, to ward off potential mental and physical health crises.

“Walking helps boosts our mood, our fitness, our productivity and our relationships.

“At this moment in time, it’s a chance to take stock and appreciate our local communities’ walking routes.

“With most of the country working from home and exercise being one of the few essential reasons for leaving your home, it is the perfect time to get into walking to look after our physical, mental and social health.”