It’s no secret that employee wellbeing has recently become a fervent talking point among HR professionals. While many organisations strive to cultivate a culture of belonging and engagement among their workforce, the challenge of preserving employee health and well-being remains a constant. From managing workplace stress and navigating upskilling challenges to minimising employee turnover and offering competitive salaries and employment perks, the journey is rarely, if ever, straightforward.

One of the most vital components of a compelling workplace proposition that can tick several boxes is health and fitness. Employee health and fitness can be attributed to a plethora of personal and professional challenges that may be hindering their progress or preventing them from achieving their full potential. Modern organisations are beginning to recognise that employee wellness isn’t just a peripheral benefit to latch onto their job advertisements, but rather a strategic perk that can bring about a multitude of benefits.

Let’s explore how offering health and fitness benefits as part of your workers’ employment can drive performance, increase retention, and positively contribute to the overall success of your organisation.

The Business Case for Fitness Initiatives

Recent aggregated research underscores the importance of workplace wellness. A February 2024 report by Lifesum revealed an alarming statistic: 71% of Generation Z and millennial employees would consider leaving a job that fails to adequately support their wellbeing. Looking beyond the risks associated with turnover and retention, organisations must look a little deeper, examining how they can create an environment that actively nurtures their employees’ potential.

The potential implications surrounding employee productivity cannot be ignored either. According to Gitnux’s report entitled “Exercise and work productivity statistics”, those who regularly exercise are 46% more effective at managing workplace stress. This suggests that workplace performance, reduced absenteeism and overall resilience to burnout can be pointed back to exercise, suggesting why a strong, inclusive exercise programme may be worthwhile in the long run.

Designing a Company Health and Wellness Strategy

Effective organisational fitness perks encompass a lot more than simply offering traditional or discounted gym memberships, even if one is on-site. The most forward-thinking organisations will cater to as many employee fitness interests and lifestyles as possible. While that may sound difficult to do on paper, when you break them down, there are plenty of options to consider.

Consider implementing an inclusive feedback or survey system to garner as many insights as possible on how to deploy the right fitness and health-enhancing perks. You may find that the yoga and pilates enthusiasts among your team would benefit from a dedicated unoccupied space to practice, while the golfers could be given a bespoke space with a state-of-the-art golf simulation system to better themselves and improve their focus. Bear in mind that those with a penchant for sports and activities including cycling, running, weightlifting, tennis, and so on, may warrant other considerations. But this could give you an important step forward when considering how to cultivate a fitness-friendly environment.

As a guide, consider the following key strategies to implement the right fitness add-ons within your organisation:

1. Flexible Fitness Options 

It’s important to recognise that one size does not fit all. Offer a range of exercise options that accommodate different work arrangements, personal preferences, and exercise budgets. This might include investing in virtual fitness classes, on-demand resources, and flexible scheduling that enables employees to take part in what they need to.

2. Technology-Enabled Wellness 

Technology is a vital asset in helping you and your team achieve your organisational and fitness goals, respectively. Consider integrating technology and equipment that supports regular fitness without compromising workplace productivity, whether it’s sponsored treadmill runs, cycles for charity or everyday competitions to encourage more movement throughout the premises, no challenge is ever counterproductive. 

3. Nutritional Support 

The key to getting the most out of exercise is proper nutrition, and workplaces can be complementary to that. Offering free healthy office snacks, providing educational resources that support overall well-being, and encouraging employee participation by bringing their own healthy homemade food during team-building days would be a good start in encouraging a healthy mindset among the team.

4. Inclusive Approach 

Ensure benefits are equitably available across different work locations and to those with physical limitations. This might involve a mix of in-person and virtual options, acknowledging the diverse working environments of modern organisations.

Breaking Down Barriers to Employee Wellness

Understanding and addressing potential obstacles towards improving employee health and well-being is crucial. Employers should actively engage with staff to identify challenges such as (but not limited to):

• Time constraints (workloads, part-time working hours, off-site client and customer visits, and so on must be navigated)
• Location obstacles (some employees may work remotely or further afield and not be able to actively participate in as many challenges or activities)
• Caring responsibilities (parenting, childcare, school runs, and other duties pertaining to elderly relatives may get in the way)
• Varied fitness levels and interests

By conducting confidential surveys and maintaining open lines of communication with their teams, organisations can design targeted wellness programmes that genuinely meet employee needs.

The Benefits of Fitness Perk Investments

Fitness perks and their benefits extend far beyond enhancing individual employee health.

Organisations that prioritise wellness and make the right adjustments often experience:

• Reduced sickness absence 
• Enhanced employee engagement
• Improved mental health outcomes
• More attractive employer branding
• Better talent attraction and retention
• Lower employee turnover levels
• Better long-term job satisfaction

Employers should be transparent about why they are communicating new fitness perks and their benefits to reach all of their employees. Extending options to those working remotely, those without access to fitness infrastructure, or the ability to engage in conventional exercise, will be a key factor in determining how successful your investment is. On the whole, however, expect to see it embraced by ‌fitness enthusiasts within your team.

How to Implement Your Wellness Strategy

HR professionals are vital cogs in any business machine. They can prove pivotal in ensuring an exercise regime and options extend to their wider team, with the following ideas and guides as suggestions:

• Negotiate corporate gym membership rates to make it more financially viable for team members.
• Provide annual wellness budgets that allow them to tweak perks as necessary with confidence.
• Introduce sit-to-stand desks to encourage better posture for desk workers.
• Offer flexible working hours for exercise, provided they don’t conflict with any important work meetings or arrangements.
• Support and extend virtual fitness classes to those working away from the office more regularly. 
• Develop nutrition and health education programmes to enlighten team members about their benefits and the long-term impact better eating can have.

Financial Considerations

While comprehensive wellness programmes might seem costly, the return on investment is significant. Reduced healthcare expenses, lower absenteeism and burnout levels, accompanied by increased productivity often far outweigh initial implementation costs, meaning the business can directly improve its financial bottom line with the right strategic fitness add-ons. 

Use Fitness as Part of Your Cultural Transformation

Ultimately, successful wellness strategies are about more than benefits; they’re about cultural transformation. Fostering a culture of transparency and mutual respect among the workforce, while showing that you genuinely value employee wellbeing, will solidify your organisation as one that backs up what they say. 

With recruitment and talent retention rapidly fluctuating across different sectors and markets, organisations must overcome a host of challenges and obstacles if they are to tick all the correct boxes. As far as fitness and wellness are concerned, however, embedding them firmly within your organisational strategy will go further than simply waxing lyrical about them. 

Thoughtfully designing and implementing wellness programmes and perks that add value to each employee – without hindering their working day – will ensure they can turn up and thrive, rather than simply get through the day. Invest in your employees’ health and they will invest their best selves into your company, so everybody benefits.