Tell Us: Would You Let Employees Come in Late if They Had Spent the Morning Exercising?

Would you let workers take an extra hour to themselves in the morning if it meant that they had worked out?

The governor of Edirne, a province in western Turkey, is allowing government workers to start their shifts an hour later than normal if they are exercising, reports BBC News. To push start times from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., employees have to sign up for Our Cure is Sport, a new fitness program that reportedly matches users with a sport that suits them and allows access to a dietician.

The encouragement to exercise in the morning is part of an ongoing anti-obesity effort by Gov. Dursun Ali Sahin, who has a history of finding creative solutions to health issues, such as canceling the first three floors of elevators in public buildings. So far, 70 people have asked to take part.

It's unclear how civil servants will prove that they were exercising, not sleeping, when they show up to the office an hour late. However, with evidence that exercise allows for increased productivity, Sahin's anti-obesity plan may have positive effects on the province's efficiency, even if employees are working fewer hours.

Would you allow employees to show up for work an hour late if it meant they spent the extra time exercising? Or, is there a better way to encourage healthful practices?