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As well-run workplace wellness programs increase focus on exercise and movement, one question may be: What is the effect on the workplace social climate?

We have reported previously how exercise improves brain health over time.

One study indicated that “physical activity of any type and in almost any amount seemed to keep people physiologically young.”

These findings contribute to science that also links exercise to increased job performance. Researchreferenced by Harvard Business Review came to the following conclusion:

“On days when employees visited the gym, their experience at work changed. They reported managing their time more effectively, being more productive, and having smoother interactions with their colleagues. Just as important: They went home feeling more satisfied at the end of the day.”

Among the questions on workplace exercise involves the benefits of group fitness vs. individual.

Now a new study examines: “While workplace physical exercise can help manage musculoskeletal disorders, less is known about psychosocial effects of such interventions. This aim of this study was to investigate the effect of workplace physical exercise on psychosocial factors among workers with chronic musculoskeletal pain.”

The study is titled “Psychosocial effects of workplace physical exercise among workers with chronic pain: Randomized controlled trial,” and is published in the journal Medicine.

The study reviewed the areas of “social climate, mental health, and vitality.”

The conclusion was clear: “Workplace physical exercise performed together with colleagues improves social climate and vitality among workers with chronic musculoskeletal pain.” While the study added that “mental health remained unchanged,” it seems evident that group exercise may have a positive effect on company culture, among other factors.