Moderate exercise can reduce burnout at work and help combat ‘silent quitting’ among employees

Employees who exercise moderately feel less emotionally exhausted and more personally satisfied at work than their less active colleagues, according to a new study from the University of Michigan.

Researchers at the UM School of Kinesiology wanted to understand the relationship between physical activity and burnout in the workplace, says Michele Marenus, a former doctoral student whose advisor was the study’s lead researcher, Weiyun Chen.

Chen is an associate professor of applied exercise science and director of the Physical Activity & Health Laboratory, where the study was conducted. The studypublished in the Journal of occupational and environmental medicinewas part of a major research project led by Marenus at the PAHL.

The research’s implications extend to workplace dynamics such as team engagement, employee turnover, morale and the “more subtle but impactful phenomenon called ‘quiet quitting,'” the researchers wrote. Their study did not directly look at silent quits, a term recently coined to describe employees who put in the minimum required effort at work but don’t give up.

The root cause is believed to be burnout, which is characterized by three primary symptoms: extreme fatigue, a sense of doubt and dissatisfaction with work, and feelings of inadequacy and unproductiveness.

The researchers surveyed 520 full-time employees about their physical activity and burnout in the workplace. They divided the sample into low, medium and high activity groups and then looked at the differences between the three subscales of the burnout inventory: emotional exhaustion, personal achievement and depersonalization to understand the ways in which employees experience burnout felt.

Of the participants, 23% reported low activity, 60% moderate activity and 25% high activity.

“The findings highlight the positive impact of physical activity on workplace prospects and personal satisfaction. Employees are aware that burnout is a huge problem for their workforce,” said Marenus, now a research scientist at Personify Health and adjunct faculty member at George Mason University. .

Findings include:

• The moderate activity group was less emotionally exhausted than the low activity group.
• The low-activity group felt more personal achievement than both the high and moderate groups.
• There was no significant difference in depersonalization scores (when employees no longer see customers as people) between the three groups.
• High-intensity activity did not reduce emotional exhaustion or boost personal performance more than moderate activity.

“Employees who experience little physical activity may feel less engaged and motivated and gradually step away from their role without formally resigning, resulting in reduced productivity and a lack of enthusiasm for their work,” says first author of the study, Brandon Albedry, a former research assistant at the PAHL. laboratory who is now a customer solutions analyst at Addepar.

The fact that the high-intensity exercise group saw no greater benefits than the moderate activity group challenges the idea that more is better, the researchers say.

“We don’t have to do crazy amounts of activity to see benefits,” Marenus said. “Feeling pressure to do this can actually have a negative impact.”

The conclusion for employers is that promoting physical activity can lead to happier and healthier employees, as well as lower employee turnover, higher productivity and cost savings. Accommodations such as running desks, on-site training facilities, gym subsidies and flexible schedules can help.

Employees should remember that they don’t need intense exercise to feel better; moderate activities such as brisk walking or cycling can reduce symptoms of burnout, the researchers say. The intensity of physical activity is important because moderate activity is more sustainable and carries less risk of injury.

“Moderate to vigorous physical activity (also) promotes an increase in a protein level called brain-derived neurotrophic factor,” Marenus said. “BDNF improves important things like brain health, cognitive function and mental health. This protein remains high in the brain even for a period after MVPA, which can benefit an individual’s overall health.”