Companies should be doing more to get their staff exercising, a health watchdog has said.

In a recent Public Health Guidance Report, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said that HR departments should be addressing the health of employees.

NICE estimates that 65% of men and 76% of women do not get enough physical exercise, with employees spending 60% of their waking hours at work.

The report calls on all employers ‘who have a responsibility in improving health in the workplace’ to encourage staff to be active and to monitor their employees’ progress.

Employees should be encouraged to walk or cycle to work and directed to use the stairs instead of lifts or escalators.

Professor Peter Littlejohns, clinical and public health director at NICE, said: “As well as benefiting staff, a healthy workforce can result in financial benefits for employers, including increased productivity and less sickness absence, as well as greater staff retention.”