Team sports help staff leap ahead
1 min read
A ground-breaking new survey reveals that companies which encourage their staff to participate in team sports are more likely to be successful and have a higher level of staff satisfaction.
The nationwide poll - commissioned by Standard Chartered Bank - was conducted as part of the build-up to The Standard Chartered Great City Race on Thursday, 19 July, a 5km run built on teamwork, with all 6,000 runners representing teams from British companies.
The research shows that staff who participate in team sports are five times more likely to work for a company that has experienced at least a 50% growth in the last year, demonstrating a clear link between group exercise and corporate success. Surprisingly, however, despite the clear correlation between team exercise and success, less than 20% of UK businesses actually encourage their staff to take part in sport.
Further analysis of the poll sheds some light on why there is such a strikingly positive relationship between team sports and booming business, with staff citing increased levels of personal satisfaction, and improved communication and rapport with colleagues among the major benefits of taking part.
Standard Chartered Great City Race ambassador and former world champion 110m hurdler Colin Jackson commented: “I know from my own experiences of training for the Olympics and World Championships that teamwork is an intrinsic element in success, not just in a sporting arena, but also in one’s business and personal life.
“The research commissioned by Standard Chartered Bank clearly shows that businesses can reap huge rewards by encouraging their staff to take part in group sport.”
