Corporate Fitness Programs: Benefits, Ideas, and Steps to Design a Solid Fitness Program at Workplace
In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the concern related to employee health in the corporate world. Desk-bound jobs associated with unhealthy lifestyles have significantly increased the health risks of employees. Due to this, a growing number of companies around the world have embraced corporate fitness programs to tackle this issue. corporate fitness programs have played an instrumental role in promoting corporate wellness, directly impacting employees’ mental, and physical wellbeing.
The corporate workout programs, when designed properly can make a huge difference in overall employee wellbeing. Let’s take a look at how corporate fitness programs for employees can help employees to use their full potential, and some other benefits associated with it. We will also provide some key points on how you can come up with the best fitness program for your workforce that suits their needs.
What is a Corporate Fitness Program?
In simple terms, corporate fitness programs are company-sponsored initiatives that aim to improve the wellbeing of employees. Steps count, wellness coaching sessions, meditation space, or partnerships with fitness are a few examples of corporate workout programs.
The programs focus on achieving the physical wellbeing of employees, and help them adopt an active lifestyle. These programs are not just limited to working days. It encourages employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout the week.
Also Read: How to Care for Your Employees' Wellbeing in the Workplace?
Benefits of Corporate Workout Programs
According to data from the American Heart Association, 85% of American office workers spend their day at desk jobs which leads to various health issues including obesity, diabetes, mental health disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. The best way to tackle this problem is to encourage your employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle which can be easily done by introducing a fitness program.
- Promotes Physical Wellbeing: Participation in exercise programs promotes the physical fitness of employees, and helps them tackle risks of diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular issues.
- Improves Mental Wellbeing: Physical and mental health are interlinked. Taking care of physical health can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. With the help of corporate wellness programs employees can be at their best selves both physically and mentally.
- Better Productivity: Employees who are involved in some kind of fitness activities, are more productive, active, and creative at their workplace.
- Reduces Healthcare Cost: A fit employee also helps the organisation with its expenses as there will be fewer doctor visits. It will reduce the company’s health insurance expenses. Companies promoting fitness programs will see a reduction in healthcare costs over time.
Designing Your Ideal Corporate Workout Program
Implementing a successful corporate fitness program can be tricky, as employees have diverse interests and needs. However, with the right design and execution, companies can tackle this problem. Remember that the program doesn’t have to be grand, it can be small but the plan should be on point. Let’s see how you can come up with the best plan for your next fitness program at the office.
- Understanding Your Workforce: Assessment is the first step to starting a corporate fitness program. Make sure you know the employees’ needs before going all in. The best thing to do in this scenario is to conduct a survey, have a one-on-one conversation, talk with team leads and based on the results take action.
- Variety is Key: Offering diverse activity options is a must when it comes to a solid exercise program. Every employee has different tastes and requirements. That’s why it’s crucial to have diverse options. The activities can include step counting, yoga, or any fun activities.
- Accessibility & Inclusivity: The corporate fitness program should target all the employees at the same time it should be easily accessible. For example, to make things accessible, companies can come up with a virtual system.
- Recognition and Rewards: To keep the employees motivated throughout the program, it is essential to reward them when they achieve goals or any fitness milestone.
Creative Workout Programs for the Workplace
Corporate fitness programs have the potential to enrich a company’s cultural wellness. However, there are multiple options to pick from. Here we will cover some creative workout programs for companies who want to healthify their employees.
- Fitness Challenges: These are the most common yet highly engaging fitness programs companies can target. For example, by introducing fitness challenges, companies can motivate employees to engage in different types of exercise at regular intervals. Some examples include steps count, stretching, yoga or desk exercises.
- Walking Meetings: With this idea, you can turn meetings into engaging, and calorie-burning sessions. Instead of sitting, employees can discuss topics while taking a stroll. It will help in boosting creativity and also help employees to be physically active.
- Wellbeing Workshops: During this, companies can conduct workshops by investing in health and wellness experts. These workshops will equip employees with knowledge about how they can maintain healthier lifestyles.
- Wellbeing Apps: Give access to employees to wellbeing apps in which they can keep track of their activities such as how many steps they have walked, personalised reminders for them to adopt healthy habits, and so on.
- Wellness Events: Organise team-building activities with a focus on fitness, as playfulness is an important part of the workplace. These events allow the employees to bond stronger, and spend some quality time with each other. It also showcases how the company cares about employee wellness.
Real-World Examples of Successful Corporate Workout Programs
Some of the biggest companies in the world have already introduced corporate fitness and wellness programs. While these programs aren’t new, they have evolved rapidly in the past few years due to their positive impact on employees. Let’s see some of the real-world examples of these programs.
Draper
This company conducts a 10-week fitness challenge that includes weekly rewards, cash prizes, and regular walking contests to keep employees encouraged and competitive. In addition, Draper also offers onsite Zumba classes and organises annual health fairs filled with fun activities.
Google offers a wide range of healthcare services including massage services, fitness centres, physicians, chiropractic, physical therapy, etc. They also have campus cafes filled with healthy meals and snacks.
Intuit
This software company is famous for its “Fit for Life” program that offers mindfulness classes as reimbursable expenses. There are incentives for employees to engage in habits like walking, breathing exercises, or any healthy habits.
Accenture
Accenture prioritises both the mental and physical wellness of its employees. It offers various corporate fitness programs, and support for issues like depression, and anxiety. It encourages employees to set fitness goals and offers rewards for achieving their goals.
How CHOYS Can Help Supercharge Your Corporate Fitness Programs?
Organising a corporate fitness program from scratch can seem like a daunting task. But CHOYS can make this process seamless for your company. CHOYS app can be your Chief wellbeing officer, who takes care of the four pillars of wellbeing that is the mental, social, physical and financial wellbeing of employees.
CHOYS Belong can help you to increase your workplace engagement through various activities. Here, employees can keep track of their steps, and participate in various challenges that can be turned into very exciting rewards. The best part is, that you won’t have to brainstorm ideas to come up with the right fitness programs as CHOYS will take care of everything.
Want to know more? Schedule a demo today! You can also contact us to know more about our products and services.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is a corporate workout program?
A: A corporate workout program aims to promote both physical and mental health among the employees. These programs include a wide variety of activities such as on-site workout facilities, step count initiatives, group fitness classes, and incentives for employees who meet their goals.
Q: How to design a corporate fitness program for employees?
A: To design the corporate fitness program for employees you need to conduct thorough research within the organisation, provide diverse options, be open to suggestions, and offer rewards to encourage employees to participate.
Q: What are the benefits of corporate fitness programs?
A: Research shows that corporate workout programs can encourage employees to lead a healthier lifestyle, and aid in the improvement of mental and physical health. In addition, it boosts productivity, releases stress, and increases employee retention.
Q: What are the three types of corporate fitness programs?
A: There are several types of corporate fitness programs such as step challenges, fitness workshops, yoga classes, health screenings, and on-site gyms.
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