Physical Fitness

Ever notice how there are more people outside your office on bikes during lunch hour than during commuting hours? Do your employees talk about distances in “K’s” rather than in miles? Do your Creatives ever show up on Mondays with tales of their weekend kickball exploits rather than a recap of the NFL game they watched? If so, then maybe you’ve got employees who value physical fitness. And if so, you should encourage that.

Encouraging physical fitness in the office should be common sense for leaders. Too often, though, we tell employees to do that sort of thing on their own time. But there are benefits we accrue when our Creatives are physically active and in good shape, and we should be willing to invest in that.

First, the obvious financial benefits: lower health care costs, and less sick leave taken. Many insurance companies will offer you lower rates if you have active fitness programs. Also, the less your employees get sick and actually use their health benefits, the fewer increases you should see in your premiums. Healthy employees lower your costs, and since a lot of creative work involves sitting around, then you can help improve their health by creating opportunities for activity.

For more qualitative benefits, consider how better physical fitness can improve your Creatives’ job performance. Physical activity can help recharge their batteries, providing a break away from work that lets them come back re-energized rather than getting bored by continuous work. Creative work is mentally taxing, and a break for physical activity helps them keep their edge. You also have the opportunity here for some bonding and team-building (but avoid making it mandatory, or creating the sense that they’re expected to be involved if they want to get ahead). It’s amazing how much those team practices or the shared experience of a marathon can bring people together. Finally, consider the effect on employee loyalty: they care more about a company that cares about them. Showing you have your employees’ health as a priority goes a long way toward increasing your employees’ interest in working for your company.

So, how do you do this? The easiest way is to just make time available for your employees to engage in physical fitness. If you’re in a traditional office setting, make it a policy that time spent on fitness during the day counts as part of their working hours. Some companies take that farther and subsidize gym memberships; check with your local gyms about corporate programs. If you have a snack room, make sure it’s stocked with healthy fare as well as Skittles (does anyone but me still eat Skittles?). Health promotion seminars and classes on smoking cessation and alcohol intake can help prevent problems that will be more expensive if they require rehab programs paid for by insurance. Speaking of which, talk to your insurance company about rate reductions in response to health promotion, and if they aren’t willing to work with you, look for a company that is.

Taking things outside the workplace, look into sponsoring employee teams in community leagues. Look for annual community events like a dragon boat festival or AIDS Walk, something people can prepare for and accomplish together. Running and biking clubs provide an ongoing means of fitness with the occasional competitive event. At a minimum, it’s nice to acknowledge employees’ achievements outside the office, so congratulate people on events that are important to them.

Health promotion and physical fitness help your bottom line, so don’t be afraid to put some time and other resources into it. Your employees are likely to turn in better work as a result, plus you may save some overhead costs, so don’t force them to do it outside of work where they have other competing priorities. The benefits you gain from better health and fitness among your workforce should outweigh the costs you incur.

And I’m not just saying that simply because I ran the Hong Kong Marathon yesterday.