All successful businesses have one thing in common: they value their employees and treat them as their greatest asset.
While almost all companies, big or small, offer medical insurance for their staff, some of them – such as Forbes and Google – go the extra mile by offering gym memberships or onsite health facilities.
If you are a business owner, you should consider providing enhanced health benefits to your staff in the form of a gym membership. Lethargy, stress, and lifestyle illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension have an effect on an individual’s work life – and clearly, it wouldn’t bode well for employees to miss work because of these conditions.
Here are three ways companies benefit by offering gym memberships to their staff.
1. Prevent work loss
Studies show how regular workouts can reduce absenteeism at the workplace, which impacts the company’s operations. Unwell employees need more leave, and even if they showed up at work, their output would be affected.
An active lifestyle helps them stay fit, and keeps not just short-term illnesses but chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disorders, kidney ailments, and liver problems at bay.
2. Save on premiums and claims
The cost of having sick employees is much more than that of a gym membership. When employees fall sick, your medical insurance premiums and claims increase, too.
So, by encouraging your employees to exercise regularly, they are likely to stay healthy and require fewer medical treatments.
3. Better workplace productivity
Research shows that being active boosts one’s mental abilities, including improved concentration, better memory, faster learning, enhanced creativity, and better overall mood.
Hence, when you encourage your employees to exercise often, you are actually ensuring they stay mentally focused, reducing the need for unscheduled breaks and increasing their – and the company’s – productivity.
Remember, healthy, happy people perform better on the job!
Erika Peres is a social media influencer, entrepreneur and director of multiple companies. She is a mother of two boys and has a passion for sports, fitness and lifestyle. She can be reached on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.