In 2018, 2 800 of the 7 700 employees used their health promotion benefit which is set at SEK 1 870 per year and employee. In addition, all employees at Lund University have the right to time for exercise during working hours corresponding to one hour per week for full-time employees. However, there are no statistics on how many choose to use their health promotion hour. The University recommends employees to use their health promotion hour between 11:00 and 14:00, but there is no rule. Exercise at any time during the day is better than no exercise at all. If you are wondering which activities are approved by the University, they are in line with the Swedish Tax Agency’s list of tax-free activities that employers may contribute to. The list is called “Friskvårdsaktiviteter A–Ö” (in Swedish).
Few utilise health promotion benefit
Herbal baths for sore shoulders, weight loss courses, stress management – these are some of the activities that staff can use their health promotion benefit for in addition to normal exercise.
However, despite the fact that each employee has the right to nearly SEK 2000 in health promotion benefits, most employees at the University do not use their money.