On-site employee fitness centers

More and more companies are realizing the benefits of having an employee wellness program and as part of that program providing their employees with a fitness center on-site. Employers with on-site employee fitness centers realize that employees who are in good health are more productive, happier and have a greater sense of job satisfaction than less healthy employees who work in environments where their health and wellness is not considered to be a worthwhile investment.

Having an on-site employee fitness center is for many employees the best help possible for leaving behind a sedentary lifestyle and taking the step to being more healthy and more in tune with the benefits of proper nutrition and exercise.For many the concept of an on-site fitness center seems a bit out of reach or for use only by companies that are doing extremely well financially.The truth is that on-site fitness centers have been around for many years and have been used by many different types of companies in all financial situations.What has changed is the purpose behind these facilities.Originally, on-site fitness facilities were built as a tool for attracting new employees. Nowadays, the motivation is quite different. On-site employee fitness centers and wellness programs now are being looked at as ways to get more productivity out of current employees by helping them stay healthy.The focus now is on enticing current employees to stay on with the company.According to the latest figures, it costs at least 1.5 times an annual salary just to hire a new employee before they even walk in the door.By retaining even one employee as the basis of your wellness program, the cost savings potential is substantial and therefore worth the financial investment.

On-site employee fitness centers can be equipped very similarly to traditional gyms.There can be treadmills, weights, and stair-stepping machines.Another common component of having a wellness program and fitness center is that fitness classes are offered.For example, an aerobics class could be offered during the lunch hour and after work.These classes could include a range of different topics including such health related issues as diet and how to guides for quitting smoking or drug addiction.The on-site employee fitness center can be tailored to meet the current needs of the employees and changed and the needs of the employees change.Additionally, the fitness center could grow to the point where there are also mental health services provided as a companion piece to physical wellness.After all, you cannot have the full benefit of physical health if there are mental stressors that nullify or impair the physical progress being made.

On-site employee fitness centers are not free.It costs money to start and stock these centers.But what is important to remember is that these costs are an investment into the future of your company.By investing in the health and wellness of your employees, you will see the almost immediate results of lower absenteeism and increased productivity as well as the long-term benefits of employee retention and job satisfaction.These are all benefits that carry a substantial cost savings for the employer.

While building an on-site employee fitness center is clearly a beneficial thing to do, you will not see the full extent of those benefits unless you properly promote the wellness program of which the fitness center is a part and facilitate the change that must take place in order to get an employee to actually decide that they want to utilize the fitness center.Make sure that you start simple and ease employees into making health changes.