Employment Office Managing Director Tudor Marsden-Huggins launching Tour de Office at the Employment Office Brisbane

With recent studies revealing desk-bound workers risk a myriad of serious health complaints, Brisbane based recruitment marketing specialists, Employment Office, is urging Queensland office workers to get active as part of this year’s Tour de Office.

Now in its second year, Tour de Office is a continuous inter-office cycle which involves riders taking turns to pedal 30 minute legs for eight hours a day from July 16-20. 

Organised by Employment Office, Tour de Office will be taking place in various offices across Australia this year.  The event aims to raise net proceeds of $60,000 for Diabetes Queensland and children’s charity I Give A Buck.

Employment Office Managing Director, Tudor Marsden-Huggins, said the purpose of the event was to raise money for charity and create awareness of the importance of a healthy work/life balance and the risks of chronic disease for desk-bound workers.

“Recent research from Diabetes Queensland has revealed that sitting for long periods doubles the risk of bowel cancer and increases the risk of heart disease and other serious conditions by up to 80 per cent,” Mr Marsden- Huggins said.

“This is a truly alarming statistic and we hope this event encourages employers to not only participate but also think about the ongoing health of their workers and introduce strategies to deal with this growing epidemic.”

“With the average working adult spending at least one third of their total hours at work, the workplace provides an ideal setting to promote health and wellbeing.  We’ve got to get our employees out from behind the desk and moving again,” he said.

Diabetes Queensland CEO, Michelle Trute, said the Employment Office Tour De Office
-more-
initiative supported the organisation’s vital message about workplace wellness.

“Workers should be breaking their sitting habits every 30 minutes for optimum health. Getting on their bike, in their workplace, for their health during Tour De Office will show people how easy it is to fit more activity into their working day,” Ms Trute said.

“I’m confident Tour De Office will spark a whole new way of Aussies approaching healthy workplaces – investing in wellness will go a long way for the individual and for businesses.

“For every corporate dollar invested in physical activity, studies have shown a return of $3.40 in reduced turnover, productivity gains and decreased medical claims. So there’s really no excuse for people not to don the lycra and be a part of Tour De Office 2012,” she said.

To secure your ride in Tour de Office, simply visit www.tourdeoffice.com.au to register.  Here you can create your online profile to spread the word about your ride and start raising money.  Sponsors can also track the progress of the riders via a live web stream featured on the Tour de Office website.