It’s common for companies today to offer some type of workplace perks — snacks, happy hours, swag, work-from-home days, and incentivized wellness programs. But what types of perks reap the greatest return on investment?

Fitness and wellness benefits, including group outdoor activities and fitness classes offered in the morning before work or throughout the day, promote the well-being of an employee. Such benefits have tremendous positive impact over time, from improving health and increasing productivity to boosting employee engagement and retention.

Encourage a healthy lifestyle

More and more, CEOs aim to encourage a healthy lifestyle among their employees. Keeping your employees healthy keeps your company healthy by reducing the likelihood of needed sick time taken and resources associated with compensating for employees out sick. Additionally, emphasizing wellness helps companies cut health care costs.

Many full-time employees find it difficult to make time to exercise before or after work, so companies have started to offer fitness classes during work. From functional fitness, yoga, and even out-of-the-box options like chair massages and stress-relief sessions, employees not only improve their physical, emotional and financial health, but have fun doing it.

These offerings also help encourage those who may not exercise their own, whether due to expenses or feeling uncomfortable in a gym setting. Offering employees an opportunity to exercise in a convenient setting encourages those people who may not have seen exercise as a priority in the past.

Increase workplace productivity

A study by Stanford found exercise immediately benefits cognitive functioning in both younger and older adults. The benefits range from improved concentration, sharper memory, faster learning, prolonged mental stamina, enhanced creativity, lower stress, and increased positivity, all attributes that have a tremendous impact on being more productive at work.

Exercise throughout the day also gives employees the opportunity to step away from a project, clear their mind, and reprioritize. Some of our best ideas come to us on a whim, and stepping away from the desk allows employees to gain perspective. Exercise also leaves people feeling energized, so offering mid-day classes puts this energy to good use.

Boost employee engagement

Not only do these tailored activities improve employees’ engagement when they go back to work, it also makes employees feel important to and appreciated by their organization. The APA’s “Workforce Retention Survey” says that employees stay at their jobs because they enjoy the work they do, their job fits well with the other areas of their life, benefits, pay, and they feel connected to the organization.

We’ve found when employees feel that management sees their health and happiness as a priority, they are more likely to work hard for their company and develop loyalty to their job.

Exercise classes during the workday also offer an opportunity for executives to engage and interact with their employees, making them more accessible and approachable to their workforce. I’ve seen this first hand, getting the opportunity to spend time with employees I wouldn’t otherwise encounter throughout the day.

It also helps foster better relationships between those who may not have the chance to interact otherwise, which can improve teamwork, employee morale, and employee retention rates (saving your company time, money, and resources).

So now, not only are your employees healthier, happier, and more engaged — but your business is in an overall better position to succeed.

Instant Insights /

The key to a healthy & happy workforce? Fitness and wellness programs

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