Employer’s New Focus: Corporate Fitness
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have found themselves navigating through new terrain. They are having to reinvent what the traditional “workplace” setting looks like, and provide a portfolio of employee benefits to support staff during this shift. For decades, employers have used the all-encompassing “corporate wellness” term as their mission; but, lately they are focusing on one branch of the wellness tree: Corporate Fitness.
So, what exactly is Corporate Fitness?
Corporate Fitness is the encouragement of physical activity via gym memberships, discounted group fitness classes, digital fitness subscriptions, or even onsite chair yoga. Essentially, it’s any opportunity for physical activity, provided to the employee, either free or at a discounted rate.
How does this offering benefit employees as well as the employer?
Employers are interested in providing corporate fitness to their employees to achieve numerous benefits including better mental health outlook, overall happiness, and employee productivity. According to recent studies, “employees who didn’t exercise very much were 50% more likely to have higher presenteeism than employees who were regular exercisers”.
Dedicating employer funds or insurance wellness dollars to corporate fitness is a direct investment in a team’s health and happiness–as well as the employer’s bottom line. Engaging employee fitness programs can help prevent health conditions, generating healthcare cost-savings for the employer.
The next question becomes, what’s the best way to provide Corporate Fitness?
To start, you have to meet employees where they are. Offering in-person gym memberships has always been the standard; however, “due to Covid-19, it’s believed that 70% of people work remotely at least once a week; some are even more.” This changes the way employees consume fitness, opting for more at-home workouts between meetings.
“The fastest-growing segment in the fitness industry is the online/digital fitness industry. Revenue generated around delivering live-streamed, on-demand, and pre-recorded fitness content is expected to grow 33.1% each year, for a total growth of 640.1% from 2021 to 2028.”
Employers who have the most engagement in Corporate Fitness programs offer both in-person and digital fitness options.
How can a company ensure a successful corporate fitness program?
First things first. Make sure the program is accessible to all employees–including those who may be working from home. Employers need to ensure that employees not only know what exactly is offered to them, but how to access these resources. Lack of education will result in lack of engagement.
Secondly, there are plenty of different types of fitness styles–from boxing and yoga, to spin and HIIT–so employers should offer a variety of options to employees.
When it comes to “Corporate Wellness”, many employers are zooming in specifically on Corporate Fitness to assist their employees on their wellness journey. Offering employees not only in-person gym membership discounts, but also digital fitness options has been a very successful approach as employers are navigating through the pandemic and how to best assist employees.
by Dana Janney