Walking meetings could help employees speak openly at work, Protecting.co.uk says

Protecting.co.uk has urged employers to consider walking meetings as a way to help employees feel more comfortable at work ahead of International Safe Places to Work Day on 24th July.

Data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed 964,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25. 

Protecting.co.uk stated that walking meetings will not solve workplace stress, but could make some conversations less formal and give employees a reason to step away from their desks.

Research from Stanford found creative output increased by an average of 60% among people walking compared with sitting.

Protecting.co.uk asked office and hybrid workers if they would use walking meetings. 

Of 28 comments analysed, 19 were at least partly favourable. 

Workers noted that walking meetings could work well for one-to-ones, informal catch-ups and brainstorming. 

Chris Hall, health and safety expert at Protecting.co.uk, said: “If you’re an employer considering trialling walking meetings in your team, the first thing to note is that you should treat walking meetings as an option, not a policy.