That's good news for BT staff, could I suggest a training program? It would involve carrying new copper cables and installing them, to replace the old rusty noisy crap we have in most places. Hell, they could could even put in optic fibre! This way BT staff keeps fit, and we get an up to date telco system.

"there's a focus on catching symptoms early"

I didn't think cancer was contagious.

I think BT is already a cancerous organism

WOW That must be really good of BT, concrentrating 6 weeks on employee fitness. I'm sure that will have a massive impact, surely a continuous campaign would have a far greater impact?

Are they just telling people what they should do in their own time, or actually making some useful contribution like discounted gym membership and an extra 15 mins lunch break if it's spent in the gym?

100,000 staff. (groupbt.com)

6 weeks.

35 hour working week (probably less actually, just a guess)

210 hours/employee

21,000,000 hours total.

2,619 GWh (btplc.com)

125 Kw

I'm sure someone can correct my rather flakey maths, but it looks like they aren't going to be pedalling fast enough.

Without a personal commitment 'fitness' is impossible. Do you really think your employer can do it for you?

What next the government?

It certainly would, Any genuinely skilled staff who could would p1ss off and go somewhere where nanny didn't nag them all the time and BT's service would degenerate into crap. Oh, hang on a sec.......

My coat, hat and a six-pack of Red Stripe Crucial brew, large doner (extra chilli sauce) and 40 filterless Gauloise to go please.

The amount of time I've had to sit around waiting for someone at BT Total Broadband's helpdesk to pick up the phone* must have seriously affected my lifespan. Then there's the effect of all the stress and pure blinding rage produced when they do bother to answer.

* Their current record of keeping me on hold was enough time to build 3 Ikea bookshelves and a futon. Anyone able to beat that?

Is the level of instances of cancer at BT due to lifestyle and diet, or is it due to use of BT mobiles and assorted wireless irradiation ?

Can we add Ikea bookshelves and futon construction to El Reg's permissable units please?

"Lordy me, for it proveth so difficult to procure bartender service at this busy drinking establishment. One has already waited for five and a half futons, and that bloke there's been waiting at least six Ikea bookshelves. Bollocks to it, let's get some tins in." - Franklin

Every BT (and especially EX BT) fuckhead I've ever met, has been about as useful as ashtrays on a motorbike...

What's wrong with them dying?

.......Was that too liberal?

What a waste of time. And money. And effort.

One of the workers at my old company (Radianz- um - I mean BTRadianz - um BT now (bought and rebranded twice in 2 years)) won the annual BT race up the BT Tower twice.

However him, his department and other vital engineers are being outsourced to a bunch of clueless Indian outsourcers (love the El Reg T-Shirts).

So actually if you take all of BT's fitness as an average then it's just dropped a bit.

If they spent a tenth of the money on the engineers that they do on strange "Security" and "Team" posters, let alone rebrands and more expensive outsourcing (guess which "new" contractors they are now having to hire) then they would be ruling the world. Meh.

As an ex Bt employee in the broadband call centre, its all bull shit, there is no fitness areas in call centres, possibly in the Hq's. Most of the staff employed are contract workers on the lowest wage, with the call centre in the middle of a business park, we have to use the staff canteen (Outside source from motorways) which is not subsidised, and the cheapest is the fat crap, quality is available but costs more, we did have a van outside selling but BT managament had it moved after as complaint from the canteen management, (too many staff used it it was half the price).

When the NHS came looking for blood donors it was in our lunch time only.

Cannot comment on the quality of the calls as there are some shite staff, and shite managers who insisted that the staff follow the call-flow (it was wrong but managers were not interested as it would upset the STATS linked to bonuses).

Senior managers were normally recruited via sales, therefore do not have clue about diagnosis etc, only the stats have to be correct or else your out of a job.