The most popular New Year’s resolution is to get into shape, yet it is also the resolution that is broken the quickest. Why does this matter for your business? About 63 percent of Americans are overweight and 26 percent are obese, all of which cost employers over $70 billion annually in missed days, lethargic workers and rising healthcare costs. Supporting your employees’ fitness goals is a great way to invest in the overall success of your business, with a return of investment of approximately $4 to $5 dollars for every dollar spent.
Try these ideas to get your employees moving and enhance their health and wellbeing:
- Sponsor a fitness event once every month or two, such as a game day or a 5k run. As an added bonus, your business can sponsor employees who run in a charitable marathon, which doubles the purpose of your dollar.
- Get rid of the potato chips and offer healthy snacks instead. Provide granola bars, fresh fruit, yogurt cups and other healthy choices to promote better diet habits.
- Partner with a local gym to offer a discounted membership. It makes your employees happy to receive savings and gives the gym more business—win-win!
- Sponsor programs such as onsite yoga or wellness classes.
- A great (and free!) way to promote fitness is to plan lunchtime walks/runs. Select a committee to keep calendars and even keep track of employees’ progress. Some businesses boost motivation by incentivizing progress with cash rewards, gift certificates or time off when critical goals are reached.
- Offer online tools and resources for monitoring diet and fitness goals. This can also include smoking cessation programs.
- Supporting mental health is just as important as physical health. Create a relaxed environment in which employees feel free to use their time off without worrying about being seen as a slacker and enjoy their evenings without fussing over work emails.
- Don’t forget to ask for employee input. Put out a suggestion box to learn what employees are aiming for with their fitness goals. With clear ideas of these goals, it’s easier to design a wellness program that appeals to employees, therefore increasing the likelihood that they’ll stick to it.
Ask about more ways to support your staff. Call Sound Benefit Solutions at (925) 244-1330 for more information on San Francisco employee benefits.