Retaining talented employees is generally better than hiring new employees. It tends to benefit the company in the long run. To retain the best, it takes more than just monetary incentives.

The employees need to feel that their well-being matters to the company. And, it genuinely does matter. A happy employee is a productive employee. Keeping this in mind, one of the areas that the HR department needs to focus on is the health and well-being of employees.

Fitness culture refers to the sociocultural phenomenon that revolves around exercise and health. It gained significant momentum globally in the last few decades.

Corporate wellness programs gained traction in the last 50 years, and the pandemic boosted their popularity. People became more conscious of health, and a multitude of studies made the benefits of fitness programs and initiatives clear to corporations.

Benefits of Workplace Fitness Culture

As physical wellness in the workplace and beyond continues to be a topic that is capturing increasing attention among employers, it is important to understand why. Workplace fitness culture offers a multitude of benefits for employees as well as for the company. These include but are not limited to the following:

• Less absenteeism: Workplace fitness culture will encourage employees to be more active. Physical activity can boost the immune system of employees and therefore reduce sickness-related absenteeism. This is in favor of both – the employees and the company. The employees will have better attendance, which might earn them incentives. For the company, reduced absenteeism will translate into increased organizational efficiency and profitability. It is a win-win situation.
• Increased productivity and better work performance: Physical exercise also boosts the functioning of the brain. It also leads to better sleep. Increased concentration and higher creativity levels in employees will lead to higher productivity and better work performance. This will result in more rewards for them and increased profits for the company.
• Reduced healthcare costs: Higher fitness levels mean that the employees will be less prone to diseases. A sedentary lifestyle can lead to many diseases. Exercise can keep these diseases and associated healthcare costs at bay, and therefore prove beneficial to the company as well as the employees.
• Improves teamwork: Through participation in group exercises and other fitness initiatives of the company, the employees will be able to get to know each other better, develop good relationships, and therefore work well with each other.
• Other benefits: Exercising in the workplace will also reduce stress, improve mood, enhance mental health, boost confidence, increase motivation, and increase the sense of belonging among employees. These in turn will lead to an improvement in the overall work environment and it will reflect in the ROI.

How the HR Department Can Contribute to Creating a Culture of Fitness

According to WHO, nearly a quarter of the world’s adult population does not get sufficient physical activity. The problem is worse in the high-income countries. The automatism of work, the availability of devices for entertainment and the numerous hours spent at work are the root causes of the higher levels of inactivity. Since the hours spent at work constitute one of the major causes, a culture of fitness at the workplace can turn things around.

Creating a culture of fitness is not something that the HR department can accomplish on its own. It will require the involvement of the higher-ups and other departments, as well as the cooperation of the employees. However, HR does play a key role in establishing a culture of fitness.

HR can highlight the benefits of a culture of fitness to the decision-makers of the company. They can come up with a clear plan for building a culture of fitness in the workplace and make recommendations for the implementation of company-wide policies that support the same.

Although actions like building attractive walkways or creating a workplace gym are beyond the scope of the HR department, their initiative and recommendations might lead to the company going ahead with such plans.

The HR department can also educate the employees on the benefits an active lifestyle holds for them, and the ways in which they can get more active in short periods. It is also possible for the HR department to encourage exercise and other fitness activities in the home environment.

Top Ideas for Promoting Exercise in the Workplace

In the workplace, HRs can promote exercise by implementing some or all of these ideas:

• Give new meaning to ‘thinking on your feet’: The HR department can promote walking meetings (the people in the meeting walk together instead of sitting in a conference room). Although walking meetings may not be applicable in all scenarios, many meetings can still be conducted in this way (especially those with the HR department). And as mentioned earlier, exercise has beneficial effects on the brain. These walking meetings might result in some great innovative ideas.

• Create and promote fitness clubs: The HR department can get people to sign up for fitness clubs that revolve around activities that they enjoy. For example, if many people enjoy table tennis in the company, the HR department can create a table tennis club and even introduce a competitive element. Examples of some other clubs that might prove successful are the walking club, badminton club, and yoga club. Such clubs will bring together people with similar interests and thereby increase engagement.

• Time-off for exercise: Granting employees one or two short exercise breaks apart from their lunch break could encourage them to pursue fitness goals. If everyone on the team has such a break together, it could help in bonding and even encourage them further on their fitness journey. The employees could discuss among themselves, set some common fitness goals and work on them together.

• Champion fitness: Not only the HR department but all the leaders of the company should be involved in and show commitment to the fitness initiatives. Only in this way can fitness permeate into the company culture. Leaders participating in the fitness challenges will motivate their team members and bring out more enthusiasm. HR can induct fitness ambassadors from each team; these people can motivate and support others
• Provide incentives: With the approval of the company, HR can announce incentives for those employees who complete some challenges like a certain number of steps, or completing a set of exercises. Participation in wellness programs like health screenings and health education seminars could be increased with incentives. The incentives could be time off, gift cards, or even tickets to a game or movie.

• Engage a trainer and provide classes: Some employees may not be able to pursue fitness goals because their working hours make it difficult for them to go to gyms or hire personal trainers. Many may want to work on their fitness, but just do not know how to start. Engaging a trainer and providing workout classes may be helpful to these employees. If there is no gym on the office campus, bodyweight workouts are the solution. These workouts do not require any special equipment. HR can also gather employees for guided stretching sessions.

• Leverage technology: Plenty of apps and fitness devices are available these days. If the employees don’t have any specialized fitness wearable devices, everyone at least has a cell phone. Cell phones even come with preinstalled health and wellness apps. The HR department can encourage the employees to take up the fitness challenges on these apps. Employees can also share fitness metrics and form supportive communities.

HR can also get employees access to online fitness training programs and reserve some rewards for the employees who complete such programs and excel in them. Another good idea is to provide employees access to tools that can send out exercise reminders.

Promoting fitness is a continuous process that requires dedication and extra effort on the part of HR, but it is worthwhile as it will generate benefits at every step. Employee well-being is crucial for the success of the company and encouraging physical activity is a way to boost the health and well-being of the employees. A culture of fitness will lead to employees adopting a healthier lifestyle and also reaping the benefits in their own lives.

HR Future Staff Writer.