Cycle to work schemes may be a good way of helping employees to keep fit and avoid illness.

This could be an important factor for many businesses following the publication of the results of a new survey, which found a large proportion of Britons are not making enough effort to stay in shape and many do not feel their employers care.

According to the poll, which was conducted by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), as many as ten per cent of British personnel do not do any exercise at all on their average working day.

Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of respondents said their organisation offers no opportunities to improve their fitness or health.

A cycle to work scheme could change this for a lot of companies, while employee health screening could be another way to help staff members keep their wellness in check.

Providing these benefits could also improve the view many workers have of their managers, with one in three of the 2,385 adult personnel in the UK polled by the charity saying they do not think their bosses care about their wellbeing or happiness.

Furthermore, nearly 20 per cent of UK employees ranked their daily stress levels at a high seven out of ten, with many saying they take their worries home with them in the evening and at the weekend.

“These survey results paint a worrying picture of workplace health,” Lisa Purcell, project manager at the body, said.

“Workers seem to be suffering a toxic combination of unhealthy foods, lack of exercise and high levels of stress,” she noted.

The BHF is calling on employers to join its free Health at Work programme as part of National Heart month.

Ms Purcell warned employers: “The daily grind can have a serious impact on the health of workers across the UK.”

One of the suggestions the body has for companies is to allow employees more control over their job.

This could include providing flexible working hours and permitting personnel to have more input in decisions about their roles and the workplace.

Freedom of this sort could be found by many employees this summer when the Olympics Games are held in London.

It was recently found by Cisco that 22 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considering introducing flexible working conditions while the tournament is on in order to reduce disruption to organisations.

The poll of 200 SMEs found 14 per cent of organisations think they will need to focus more on motivating their staff while the Games are on, while 59 per cent said they already had some or all of the technology they need to make flexible working possible.

Meanwhile, 22 per cent said they were expecting their headcount to fall while the tournament was on either directly or indirectly due to the event.

As many as 41 per cent admitted they had no strategy in place and managing director of Cisco Neil Crockett told these firms their success could depend on planning ahead.

“London 2012 can offer opportunities for UK SMEs, but only if they have the correct business strategy in place,” he stated.