It's not a flash mob. But the scene unfolding each morning at the Mall of America could easily be mistaken for one.
In a hallway outside the mall's administrative offices, a large crowd forms. Music blares and the men and women assembled start bending their bodies this way and that, stretching to the beat.
Some perform their moves in pencil skirts and heels. Others get limber in shirt-and-tie combos. When the music stops, they disperse and go back to their desks.
For almost a year, employees at the shopping destination have been doing mandatory stretching exercises before their shifts. Whether they work as ride operators at Nickelodeon Universe or as maintenance crew members or as desk jockeys in the finance department, they begin their workday the same way — with 10 to 15 minutes of stretching.
"We're all aging," said Sue Amundson, the mall's director of human resources. "It makes a difference for people to start their day with some basic stretching."
Many companies have started stretching programs in recent years to reduce the number of workplace injuries. The trend comes at a time when the merits of stretching to prevent sports injuries is under debate. Recent studies suggest that "static stretching" before exercise — extending a muscle and holding the stretch for a few minutes — doesn't minimize the risk of injury and can even hamper an athlete's performance.
Some critics also question whether workplace stretching programs are cost-effective, noting the time employees spend each day stretching instead of working. A report by the Labor Education Research Center in Oregon concluded that there's not enough evidence yet on either side of the workplace stretching debate to judge its worth.
"The few available studies specific to workplace stretching programs suggest that stretching at work enhances worker health and decreases the severity and cost of treating [injuries], but fail to definitively prove the case for or against stretching," the report said.
