As the healthcare costs are on the rise, more offices are investing in in-house gyms and fitness experts. A large number of corporations around the world have adopted the practice of mandatory gym membership for their employees to reduce the healthcare expenses within their offices. It has proven to be sufficient so far since most employees find innovative excuses not to exercise – their kids are waiting at home, the office to gym drive is too long, the journey takes longer than it takes to work out and the work pressure is too much to step away from the desk right now.
An office gym is a perfect answer to overpower these excuses. Setting up a fitness centre inside the office premises or utilising a shared fitness space is gradually increasing the fitness trend among the employees. As the days go on, closing business deals of putts and squats are becoming more common than doing them inside closed spaces or posh bars. Staying fit has become the mantra for the millennials looking for a break from their backbreaking office work.
Setting up a corporate gym is not costly or too much extra work. Sometimes, all it takes is finding the right website or gym equipment supplier who can give you all that your office gym needs at one go. That way grabbing attractive discounts and mega offers on the rentals become entirely possible. Check out Hire Fitness Office equipment for a comprehensive idea of what an office fitness room requires. An office gym might need multiple counts of the same equipment and different types of fitness equipment for each user. The most common gym equipment at offices includes stair steppers, elliptical cross trainers, treadmills and exercise bikes.
Why do offices emphasis improving employee fitness?
Here are a few reasons, your office might want to think about getting its fitness centre –
Reduce the overall stress level
Surmounting stress can lead to increased levels of absenteeism, decreasing levels of productivity and increasing fallouts among the employees. The overall stress of the employees depends on their total work hours, the pressure of performance and their out-of-office responsibilities. Working out regularly even for 20 minutes can help them combat the stress quite successfully.
Exercising stimulates the brain
Have you noticed how couch potatoes are rarely bright or productive? Working out a little can help with problem solving, memory and learning skills. As several studies on multi-tasking and cognitive abilities have proven earlier, working out keeps the cogs moving. Recent research by a group of Swedish scientists shows that 2.5 hours of exercise every week improves the productivity of the employees significantly in comparison with the corporations that do not.
Working out to sleep better
Exercising promotes relaxation. Apart from dissipating stress from the tightened muscles, exercising also encourages the release of serotonin and endorphins. These are hormones that promote better mental health and fight depression. At the same time, it can regulate melatonin metabolism — melatonin in the sleep neuro-hormone that controls the quality of sleep in individuals. People, who love to sleep should gain an added impetus to work out since exercising gives you the chance to rest well and feel happy.
Prioritising the happiness of employees
The National Health Service (NHS) released a report in the recent months that showed that working out provides a boost of instant energy. A short stretch of a walk for 15-minutes can help you clear your brain fog and improve your mood. It is the natural antidepressant almost every competitive millennial requires for staying motivated and productive in life. Working for any company that pays attention to your physical and mental health seems is a privilege for most employees. Therefore, offices with fitness centres on their premises often enjoy higher standards of performance and loyalty from their employees as compared to the other offices.
Employees report better job satisfaction
With better mental health, comes better job satisfaction. Companies say that setting up gyms within their premises have resulted in higher levels of satisfaction among their employees. It has helped them in fostering a positive work environment. A small change has such a profound impact since showing their employees that they matter is essential as well.
It helps with team building
Fitness is not a solo activity. Most corporate gyms have team fitness programmes and many more host group fitness classes. Special classes and workshops including Tai Chi, mindfulness meditation and Zumba help people build new relationships with their partners in action. Exercise buddy might seem rather juvenile, but over the years, it has proven itself effective in creating teams and fostering a cooperative environment in offices. Corporate gyms allow employees to meet and greet each other, even though they might not speak with each other regularly.
How can you incorporate fitness into your corporate culture?
The leading companies of today are making fitness a part of their culture. Corporate fitness has become a part of several smaller start-ups and independent organisations as well. Apart from gifting their employees FitBits and bicycles, these organisations are promoting health and fitness by dedicating indoor space for fitness workshops and gyms. These 24×7 gyms are perfect for the workaholics who love burning the midnight oil and eating desktop food. To make up for all the cheesy pizzas and the sugary doughnuts, these employees should hop on the exercising bikes or treadmills for at least 20 minutes a day.
Making fitness the part of your office culture will take a while if you do not have the infrastructure in place. One way to integrate health and fitness into the mainstream is by providing positive reinforcement to the employees to get up and hit the gym. For example – you can clock the hours they spend at their workstations and the time they spend sweating it out. You can give them a token of appreciation every month for their effort in remaining healthy and fit. It can spearhead a fitness trend in your corporation. You can get many more ideas to make your office a healthy and fitness-friendly environment by working with fitness equipment suppliers, who have catered to corporate needs before.
