Fit for Purpose
Investing in Employee Fitness
More and more, the world is showing an increased interest in health and fitness, so much so that it has become an important issue not just for private individuals, but for governments and their citizens, as well as companies and their employees and customers, in countries all over the world. In South Korea, for example, some of the big banks are offering financial rewards to customers who make an effort to stay healthy and active. One Seoul institution, Hana Bank, offers an account that rewards customers with special interest rates if they are able to lose 5% of their body weight within one year or even if they simply purchase a gym membership. In contrast to this “carrot” approach, some municipalities in the USA are implementing the “stick” of higher taxes on sugary foods in a desperate attempt to slow the slide into obesity that seems to have so many Americans in its grip.
With so much buzz around the topic of health and fitness, it is no surprise that some companies, sensing a competitive advantage, are not just showing more interest in their employees’ well- being, but have started to invest in their employees’ health and fitness as well. Companies such as Adobe and BP are providing their employees with Fitbit fitness trackers. The main purpose is to encourage their employees to be active by forming teams of workers to train together and to compete on daily, weekly and monthly challenges. By providing the trackers, these employers seek to sensitize their employees to their level of physical activity in terms of steps, number of calories burned or distance covered. Other employers, GE and Microsoft for example, go so far as to provide on-site fitness facilities to their employees at no cost.
Perhaps no company appears more serious about employee health and fitness than Google. In an interview with Greatist (May 13, 2013, “Why are Google Employees So Damn Happy?”), Newton Cheng, Google’s Fitness Programs Manager, revealed why Google is so focused on fitness: “Google hires people who are the highest performers in their field, people who are really passionate about what they do. And being healthy and fit supports their ability to focus and maintain high cognitive function. So it’s not only the right thing to do for the person; it actually supports the business.”
Google’s approach to employee wellness is multi-pronged and includes some of these highlights:
-In an effort to make healthy food accessible to employees, cafes and commissaries on the Google campus promote healthy food by placing healthy food choices within arm’s reach (less healthy foods are placed at the back) and color-coding food options to let employees know which are the healthiest choices. Cafeterias also include a salad bar, typically placed at the entrance.
-Employees are entitled, on request, to a standing desk, which helps to burn more calories and improve posture significantly more than ordinary seated desks.
-Google provides access to fitness facilities onsite or, in offices where the company does not have such facilities, a discounted gym membership in the vicinity.
-Google maintains over one thousand community bicycles on its for employees to use while traveling around its Mountain View, California, headquarters, encouraging them to seize the opportunity for activity rather than driving around campus.
-Perhaps most unusually of all, Google has planted a company garden for employees, giving workers the option to walk outside in a pleasant environment when they feel they have been sitting too long or are simply in need of fresh air.
As one Google employee summarized it, “I think the reason [these fitness programs] are available is because Google wants people to be comfortable when they work, and wants people to be able to work the way they want to.” Mr. Cheng agrees, saying ““We know that if we can help someone be happy, it supports their ability to be innovative and creative.”
But opening employees up to greater levels of innovation and creativity is just part of the benefit many companies hope to realize when they invest in their employees’ health and fitness. Although more study is being conducted all the time, the evidence already unequivocally verifies supports five key benefits available to companies who make this investment.
Higher productivity.
Many studies demonstrate that a healthier workforce leads to a higher productivity. Employees who exercise more frequently are able to prevent many routine illnesses (colds, flu, fatigue, etc.) as well as more serious health conditions that result from obesity. As a result, active employees take fewer days off due to illness and suffer fewer long-term disabilities as well. When a person is physically active, more blood flows to his/her brain, helping to heighten awareness and prepare the individual for concentrated work. Exercise also gives individuals a strong sense of residual energy and motivation. This energy translates to feeling more awake when working. Being alert and more awake translates to fewer errors and enhanced productivity.
One study (Lewis Yen, et al, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, September 2006, “Financial costs due to excess health risks among active employees of a utility company”) showed that about 30% of a given company’s costs in terms of both medical/prescription insurance coverage as well as increasing absentee rates were almost always related to increased health risks among its employees. In addition to increasing productivity by reducing absenteeism, a corporate investment in fitness programs also reduces the occurrence of “presenteeism”. As defined by Professor Gunnar Aronsson (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, July 2000) presenteeism is ‘going to work despite feeling unhealthy’. Researchers like Dr. Paul Hemp say that presenteeism can reduce a person’s productivity by 30% or more and that presenteeism may actually be a much costlier problem than true absenteeism (Harvard Business Review, October 2004) since ill employees at work are not only less able to perform, but may also pass on germs to healthy employees.
Increased morale, satisfaction and motivation.
When companies sponsor fitness programs, especially those that allow colleagues to work out together or interact with one another, the bond of the employees tends to increase and a social support system is created. Based on my own past work experiences, I know first-hand that the morale of employees increases when they are working with people they like and for a company that evidences genuine care. Both feelings tend to increase employee tenure and produce higher levels of employee satisfaction.
The power of social support should not be underestimated either. Nearly all of us who have begun a fitness journey can verify that social support is important to in the maintenance of good physical and mental health. Positive social support has proved to enhance resilience to stress, protect, help protect against developing trauma-related psychopathology, and reduce medical morbidity and mortality. I have also seen examples where social support has help people become successful in their goals in and out of work by helping them stay motivated.
Reduced stress.
Exercise has also been proven to reduce stress by increasing the production of endorphins which help individuals to relax and which can lower the symptoms associated with mild depression and anxiety. As a person who exercises regularly, I know first-hand that this is true. Less stress results in happier people and happier people are better able to handle their workloads. Happier, less stressed employees are also likelier to stay with their organization longer.
Enhanced corporate image.
Companies that invest in health and fitness programs for their employees send a clear signal of care and commitment that employees value. Such investments, therefore, build a sense of loyalty to the company, resulting in higher levels of commitment, but also longer tenures. Such employees are also more likely to refer their contacts for potential employment at the company. A quick check of Fortune’s “2015 Top 20 Companies to Work For” reveals that 85% of these notable employers provide employees with at least an onsite fitness center or discounted gym membership, suggesting that a focus on fitness is at least part of what employees seek from the best employers.
Increased profitability.
Many would argue that investing in employee fitness results in additional and unnecessary costs for the business, but in fact, corporate proponents of such investments argue just the opposite. Companies with healthier employees were able to save on medical bills of their employees and keep insurance renewal rates lower than those that did not. According to the Harvard Business Review (Leonard Berry, et al, December 2010), executive management at consumer products giant, Johnson and Johnson, estimate that their wellness programs have cumulatively saved the company $250 million on health care costs over the past decade. And that savings does not even take into account the positive impact of increased productivity, reduced absenteeism/presenteeism, heightened employee satisfaction and longer employee tenures.
The case for investing in employee health and fitness is an easy one to make, with tangible, financial benefits are outweighing the costs of the investment. Organizations need not be corporate giants like Google or Johnson & Johnson to be at the forefront of this movement. Even small steps - - healthy food options in the cafeteria, encouraging employees to be active in and out of the work environment, rewarding those who undertake and sustain a significant weight loss or smoking cessation program - - can set a company apart in the minds of its employees, thereby yielding many of the benefits described here. For companies and employees alike, it seems, it all begins with that first step.
- Rongine Koh