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Fast Track to Fitness
October 01, 2004
Pressed by rising health care costs, more companies are launching fitness programs for employees. Here's how incentives play a supporting role in the quest for a healthier workforce.
By By Jonathan Pont
Gwenn Jones occasionally walks up and down the hallways of companies for which she doesn't really work. Jones hasn't come as an interloper or to poach information for a rival business. Rather, she's there to motivate employees to get into better physical condition. Usually, people notice her right away—particularly at the smaller companies she tends to work with. "People stop me and we talk for a few minutes," says Jones, general manager of Bay Bridge Fitness, an Auburn, California, firm that sets up fitness programs in the workplace. "They ask, 'What should I do to improve my posture?' or 'How do I get rid of this belly?'"
Jones says her informal meetings promote activities at the companies she visits, helping generate buzz that's essential in the first days and weeks. But there's another purpose: Showing employees that somebody cares. "People who never get support on the outside can thrive in a corporate environment," Jones says. "They get that camaraderie. Once they start hearing success stories they join in. Someone shows they're proud of them or shows support, and that builds adherence. All we have to do is teach a new lifestyle."
It's a fact: More companies are setting up fitness programs for employees. But to promote healthier habits and glean the rewards, a company has to approach a fitness initiative much as it would any other business venture—and make sure employees are on board, too.
The Role of Incentives
Keeping employees fit is hardly a new concept. Blue-chip companies employ full-time health and wellness specialists, usually corporate officers with the clout to push a new initiative company wide, quickly and efficiently. And health promotion is widespread throughout the American business landscape, too: According to human resources consultancy Hewitt Associates, 95 percent of organizations surveyed in 2003 offer some form of health promotion programs. The number-one reason: to contain health care costs, whose premiums have risen by double digits in each of the past four years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The Hewitt study also revealed another figure that's on the rise: The use of incentives by companies as an inducement to change workers' attitudes about fitness—and ultimately, their behavior. In 1993, only 14 percent of companies used incentives to promote fitness initiatives. Now, the figure is over 40 percent. Most incentives take the form of reimbursement. For example, the county of Napa, California, provides funds for employees' gym membership. All participants have to do is work out twice a week for six months at an accredited facility and the county picks up 60 percent of the cost. Napa County workers have enjoyed this healthy perk for close to 20 years.
Too few people hit the gym twice a week, however. Some businesses use incentives to get people to take a closer look at their health as a first step to improvement. Xerox, the Stamford, Connecticut-based office equipment and services provider, offers individuals who complete an online health assessment $200 toward the cost of their benefits each year. And if the assessment shows an increased risk—in this case, three or more red flags, like being overweight or using tobacco, the employee has the option of meeting with a health coach to make healthy changes. Businesses aren't alone: Some insurers have explored incentives to encourage people covered by their policies. Blue Shield of California has a pilot program that's similar to Xerox's; another health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, offers discounts to subscribers on fitness products, from Lands' End workout apparel to diet programs at Jenny Craig weight loss centers.
Other successful incentives have less formal structures. Jones says motivators toward better health can take many forms, ranging from a tee shirt with a theme to gift certificates for workout apparel or feel-good outings, like a manicure or a trip to a day spa. But she counsels clients to provide employees with opportunities that will lead them to long-term results. One simple, low-cost idea: providing exercise-related literature and videos in a designated workout room. Even adding dumbbells and mats is a low-cost inducement. Jones recounts a favorite example intended to have lasting benefits: a company that sent employees to a supermarket with a nutritionist to learn how to understand labels on food packaging. Ultimately, Jones says that a company succeeds when fitness has the backing of management. That means clear communication, an understanding of expectations and goals, and meaningful incentives.
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Achieving fitness requires effort and discipline and not vast sums of money (but few would argue against the merits of a state-of-the-art gym in the workplace). Fitness consultant Gwenn Jones of Bay Bridge Fitness in Auburn, California, offers ways smaller companies with limited resources can inspire workers to get in shape.
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Neighboring businesses can pair up to split the cost of developing a workout facility, and better still, the services of a qualified fitness trainer.
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Some health clubs offer discounts to companies in their community. Jones says it pays to find out whether a company's health insurer offers similar discounts, or even sweeteners to keep people motivated, like free personal training sessions. "This is a key incentive since often new participants, who are coach-less, quit their fitness and nutrition program in the first three weeks.
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Certified trainers aren't judt there to work up a sweat. Bring one in to check everyone's blood pressure. Take over a conference room for a few hours and have people sign up ahead of time. "Most employees are unaware of their blood pressure and how it increases with weight gain," Jones says.
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Jones says the factors that fitness prgrams require for success are management support, employee participation, good program design, and follow-up evaluations. "Smaller corporations are capable of this commitment, starting with one of the above suggestions."
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Getting Started
Companies are adding wellness programs at a faster clip. But to help reduce health-related expenditures while boosting morale and fitness, management has to get behind any initiative, be it an online health assessment or a new exercise facility. In the latter instance, even a modest gym can be a boon to a growing company. One factor that distinguishes a successful fitness program is whether employees find the equipment easy to use. "It should be something that appeals to most," says John Hulit, medical and new markets manager for SportsArt, a Woodinville, Washington, provider of exercise equipment. The basics include cardiovascular equipment like recumbent bicycles—easier, Hulit says, to get on and off of than traditional stationary machines, and whose design puts less strain on the back and heart. Whether for a gym or as part of a reward, buyers should consider equipment whose features are intuitive, especially gear that has electronic components, like a heart-rate monitor.
Creativity can help drive participation, too, especially, Jones says, if employees are part of the process before decisions get made about factors like program features, location, and even cost. (A nominal fee can help encourage participants to attend an on-site facility, but employees might see a mandatory fee levied company wide as punitive.) Once up and running, companies can keep a fitness program from getting tired by adding to it.
That's what Xerox has done. Years ago, the company offered employees the opportunity to take part in leisure activities as an element of its Xerox Recreational Association. Then, team sports were the rule. Today, the company offers Pilates and yoga classes, too. And Xerox regularly brings in experts to conduct classes on healthy cooking.
What's the Return?
In today's economy, a business may not have the resources to implement extensive features. And in an era when basic health care coverage is rising in cost, a new gym might appear luxurious, or be out of reach.
Jones says that the smallest steps can have ripple effects. She suggests inviting speakers from the American Heart Association to talk about ways individuals can improve cardiovascular health, or stocking company vending machines with an array of healthy foods.
Jones says employees respond to small initiatives, like having a trainer available to show employees how to properly use new gym equipment. That's something SportsArt's Hulit says applies equally to a reward meant for home use: Buyers with an eye on fitness rewards ought to look for equipment that is set up and tested for a recipient immediately upon delivery. Want to really get someone enthused about his new home set-up? Think about hiring a personal trainer for a short introductory period to get him comfortable, up-to-speed, and on his way to better health, fitness, and productivity.
Beyond slimmer-appearing workers, employers will want to know the return on investment of such programs. Research studies on health promotion have found that every dollar spent can save companies or their employees three dollars in health-related expenses in as little as three years.
Other benefits, however, will materialize much sooner, like energized employees and improved morale, and will certainly appear with a reward to which nothing can compare. "The best incentive," Jones says, is "when your health is better and you're feeling better."
—jpont@potentialsmag.com
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