“Sitting down is the greatest threat to health”
Eurobarometer research (2014) revealed that 25% of the Dutch and Danes spend over 8.5 hours a day sitting down. The Portuguese, Maltese, Slovenes, Romanians and Hungarians Dutch spend 2.5 hours or less a day sitting down. According to the Dutch lifestyle monitor (RIVM) teenagers sit down for over 10 hours a day. Lessons home, doing homework, playing on computers and using tablets contributed to this lifestyle. Sitting down is associated with an increased risk of obesity and early death, even among people who exercise regularly. Health experts advise to improve lifestyle by taking the stairs more often, bike or walk to school, contact your colleagues face-to-face instead of using mail or Whatsapp, set the alarm on your mobile to take a walk or walk through the house while calling a friend etc. An inspiring thought for a new reality show?
Not only a sedentary lifestyle is bad for health, working without any challenges contributes for a bad mental health. It is one of the reasons why many organisations are experimenting with swapping employees. Recently the Dutch Regiomatch – in which more than 20 organisations participate – started swapping jobs to stimulate productivity and creativity.
“Employees stay healthier when they swap work places”
Most employers believe swapping employees is bad for the loyalty to the organisation. The Regiomatch experiment shows that swapping simulates the organisation and the employees. The Dutch public transportation organisation GVB swaps security staff with apublic hospital VUmc. The exchanged staff is more productive, healthier and creative. So cooperation between HR departments can improve mental health. Earlier TV formats like Extreme Job Swap (Zodiak) and Beroepen zonder grenzen (Professions without frontiers) at Belgium channel Eén) focused on the differences between jobs but not on the health issues.
Another way to improve the physical health of employees is to change dietary patterns. So the Danish government supports the “Økologiplan” Denmark campaign with a €54 million.
“Organic agriculture is getting popular”
By 2020 the biological farmland must be doubled. The Danish dairy giant Arla welcomed the government’s plans: in 2015 Arla sold a record amount of organic daily products to the Danish public sector. By 2020 the biological farmland must be doubled. The Danish dairy giant Arla welcomed the government’s plans: in 2015 Arla sold a record amount of organic daily products to the Danish public sector. Will this be a good idea for a serious documentary?
Charles Vaneker
Senior Research and Media consultant
