The company Icebug manufactures shoes intended for outdoor activities – which is one reason why their office in Gothenburg has started mandatory training for all employees.
– It will be difficult for us to inspire others to move if we don’t do it ourselves, says Lhina Segerbo who is HR manager at the office in Jonsered outside Gothenburg, to TV4.
The office began mandatory outdoor activities for all employees in 2019, and since then sick leave has dropped by 30 percent, according to TV4 news.
Compulsory training sessions three times a week
Training sessions are scheduled three times a week and last one hour. On site there are, among other things, running loops, watercourses for swimming and the possibility of kayaking. Even if the training sessions are mandatory, the employees themselves can choose which form of training they want to practice.
– For me, it’s fantastic that I can get out three days a week during working hours and exercise. However, I can see on social media that this mandatory thing can be perceived as a bit scary and that it scares people, says Anna Andersson who is art director, for TV4.
“There is little North Korea not to offer”
When asked if it is not “a little North Korea” to force the staff to train, Segerbo replies that it would rather be North Korea not to have mandatory training.
– If you have felt the effects of moving around, we think it is a bit North Korean not to offer that opportunity.