Workplace 'recess' ups productivity

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- An Instant Recess Toolkit helps employers implement workplace "recess," breaks during the workday that benefit employers and employees, a researcher says.

Dr. Toni Yancey of the University of California, Los Angeles, developed the toolkit -- made available for free by KEEN, the manufacturer of hybrid outdoor casual footwear, bags and socks -- to help people who spend so much time sitting and attached to their electronics, at a time when obesity rates continue to grow.

The toolkit includes the first-ever calculator for employers to track the benefits of recess and compute their return on investment, such as employee attendance and productivity. To calculate recess returns visit calculator.keenfootwear.com, Yancey said.

"If employers offered and encouraged a paid activity break during the day, it would offer a real return on investment for them -- delivering $1.50 to $2.00 for every dollar spent implementing the program, according to our estimates," Yancey, author of "Instant Recess: Building a Fit Nation 10 Minutes at a Time," said in a statement. "Through workplace studies I've conducted with my team, the results clearly demonstrate that short activity breaks during the day, are beneficial for one's physical and mental health, improving productivity and aiding in arresting weight gain."

The new Instant Recess Toolkit, which was designed to help improve workplace health and productivity, and re-energize employees, is available now in a free download at corptoolkit.keenfootwear.com, Yancey said.