This thesis examines exercise at the workplace, in Danish motion på arbejdspladsen. It looks to provide a new and more concise definition for the concept. In addition, it studies the actors within the field, and the challenges they encounter, when working with various companies to implement exercise at the workplace as well as the challenges they encounter in trying to increase the prevalence of the concept.

The interest and willingness to study the subject is grounded in our ninth semester internship, where we had the opportunity to work with the subject. We implemented exercise at the workplace in a small company, whereby we saw the potential of the concept. As the internship went on, we also realized that there, in Denmark as a whole, were very few companies, who had experimented with these similar ideas and even fewer, who had implemented it.

The thesis is based on a qualitative study rooted in hermeneutics, which incorporates interviews and document analysis. The interviews consist of two separate online interviews, each of which were carried out with a representative of one of the two main actors in the field: Dansk Gymnastikforening and Dansk Firmaidrætsforbund. The document analysis builds upon these and incorporates selected documents from the same two actors. To aid us in analyzing the aforementioned empirical data, the thesis incorporates change management theory from John P. Kotter regarding the eight steps to a successful implementation of change.

The results show that it is advantageous for the actors within the field to incorporate Kotter's change management theory as they work to implement workplace exercise for the companies. The reasoning behind it is that it helps cover the challenges as well as opportunities that are fundamental to succeed with the implementation. In addition, it assists the actors in understanding the process that the company undergoes. Furthermore, the results show that exercise at the workplace can be defined as a concept, which main objective is exercise with a health promoting focus on a weekly basis either before, during or in continuation of the workday. It is also defined as a concept that considers all employees regardless of age, gender, or physical ability. Therefore, fellowship and inclusion are key factors.

In a broader perspective we wish to encourage a debate centered around the potential of exercise at the workplace. If this is to become a consolidated part of everyday work life in Denmark, multiple factors need considering. First, we want to pose the ethical dilemma, in which we must discuss whether the employer should interfere with the employees’ exercise habits. Furthermore, we encourage a debate around the Danish health and safety legislations, wherein the health of workers is to be ensured and taken care of. It needs to be discussed whether lawmakers should make exercise a mandatory part of companies to further increase the overall health of the Danish population.