Healthy Living: Staying healthy through corporate fitness programs

It is now common knowledge that you cannot go to any government office on Friday afternoon and be served, not because the civil servants refuse to, but because they all go for sports fully paid for by their employer who is the government. This was a very a good thought coming from their employer. I remember a few years ago when I was working for some company, together with my colleagues we tried to negotiate a sports package for all of us the employees with our boss, but he took us for fools, because he not only refused to give us what we had requested for , but went ahead to register himself in a golf club; which cost the company more money for one person than what it was to pay for its ten employees to do daily sports for a whole year in a local gymnasium. In today’s world, people are so busy trying to make ends meet that they forget about taking care of themselves, in terms of health. I read on the internet that Google Company has a state of the art complex which includes a restaurant, a golf course and even a complete gymnasium whereby all employees go to take part in any kind of sports they want during the breaks, this in return has saved the company lots of time and resources. The importance of fitness programs has become so great now that many companies have now started their own corporate fitness programs. These corporate fitness programs prove to be not only beneficial to the employees, but also to the company. This is because with the introduction of a corporate fitness program in a company; there are usually lower health care costs for the employees. With this, there is a reduction in the number of sick days and thus, more productivity on the part of the employee. A corporate fitness program also reduces the number of absenteeism in employees and their compensation and disability. With all of this, you find an improved employee morale and loyalty amongst the employees and all of this leads to an increase in the productivity of the company by these employees. The corporate fitness program also offers proper nutrition knowledge to the employees and routine exercise programs for tips to living a healthy and active lifestyle. The main reason companies who do not have these programs should start one today, because it prevents health issues by reducing claims by employees which in turn, saves lots of money for the company. These companies realize that there is a link between the prevention and the investment of health in their staff. In addition to increased productivity and a reduction in the number of absenteeism, a corporate fitness program not also raises the company morale and friendship amongst the employees, but it also strengthens relationship between the employer and employees. As much as many companies still think that having these programs is a waste of time and resources; it has been found out that since these fitness programs help the employees stay healthy and fit, it helps them think clearly and hence instil in them a feeling of confidence, making it easier for the employees to achieve goals and improve in their work performance. There is compelling evidence that billions of cash that is currently spent by employers on health-related costs can be prevented by means of Corporate Wellness Programs; start one today not just for the top executives or managers, but all your employees and you will see the results not long from now. kayitesius@yahoo.com

Lifestyle

Healthy Living: Staying healthy through corporate fitness programs