The pandemic caused a shift in the way we work. With remote working now ‘the norm’, HR leaders are facing challenges in engaging their workforce. However, research has found that employees are more open to in-person interaction at the gym, particularly in “corporate fitness centres”.
There has been an increase in the number of employees using personal and group training sessions, with most of those sessions being held in-person. This trend towards personal and small group training makes sense as employees are putting more focus on their personal health than ever before.
Most people in employment spend 60% of their waking hours in work making the workplace a great place to promote the benefits of enjoying a healthy, active lifestyle.
The benefit of fitness programs in the workplace is that they can unlock a path to address these challenges and promote employee well-being. With qualified trainers leading personal and small group training sessions, employees can weave bonds of fellowship while focusing on fitness goals at the corporate fitness centre.
Organisations that evaluate their well-being spend are more likely to have increased their spend this year and are more likely to increase it in 2019, suggesting that the investment is worthwhile.
CIPD 2018
Price Waterhouse Cooper concluded that health, fitness and wellbeing programmes have a positive impact on intermediate and bottom-line benefits and programme costs quickly translate into financial savings. What’s more the ROI for every £1 spent on programmes was £4.17.
Benefits included:
- Increased employee satisfaction
- Reduced absence rates
- Increased productivity
- Reduced overtime and agency payments
- Enhanced company profile
If you’re considering putting together a corporate fitness centre, it’s important to find someone who can help HR leaders and their employees achieve their fitness goals. Look for workplace-based fitness programs that address the challenges of engaging a remote workforce. Additionally, consider offering personal and small group training sessions to enable employees to focus on their personal health and wellbeing in private or while building a sense of camaraderie with their colleagues.
Ben Scurr, Project Active Ltd
Ben’s love for the great outdoors is inherent and led him to create Project-Active Ltd in 2006, which has been encouraging Oxfordshire locals and visitors alike for the past 20 years to explore the benefits of nature for all-round health and fitness.
The initiative promotes better health and well-being by enhancing their day with various outdoor, and some indoor, activities including team boots camps, hikes, MTB and Paddle Boarding, mud runs and more localised sports matches such as football or rounders. Project Active Ltd work with a range of companies from sole traders through to multi-national businesses including Blenheim Palace and the Williams F1 Team
Ben has 20 years’ experience as a fully trained fitness professional, sports coach and outdoor instructor in various disciplines from various recognised national governing bodies.
