Interview: Proven Reasons to Bring Fitness To Your Office

We talk with Jessica Arber of The Active Workplace about the benefits of corporate fitness programs

At LeanBox, we’re fortunate to meet great, like-minded companies and individuals who are bringing health, wellness and overall awesome office perks out into the world. We’ll be featuring interviews to highlight the latest, greatest and most proven workplace benefits, perks and wellness options.

Jessica Arber is the owner of The Active Workplace, a company that provides high-energy, on-site office fitness and wellness classes and team-based competitions to improve employees’ health, happiness and communication skills. But programs like those The Active Workplace provides don’t just help shed pounds—they help the bottom line as well.

Check out the video to see some of The Active Workplace’s programs in actions, then check out our interview with Jess below!

LeanBox: Why did you start The Active Workplace, and what do you hope to achieve for your clients?

Jess: I’ve always had a passion for fitness, and after working as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor I realized there was a need for a company that could bring innovative and fun fitness and wellness programming specifically catered to the needs of employers.

We hope that as a result of our programs, clients will find improved communication and productivity throughout their workforce. Most importantly, we hope our clients have fun while doing it!

LB: exactly does the program work in a corporate environment?

Jess: We provide onsite classes catered to our clients’ needs, including interval training fitness class, yoga, and spinning classes. We also provide one and one personal training services.

The highlight of our programming is our Fitness Challenge, which combines fitness and nutrition goals with friendly competition to boost camaraderie company health. We also offer online versions of the Fitness Challenge, which is perfect for companies with multiple locations.

LB: Let’s get to the bottom line. What’s the benefit to a company to offering a program like this (and/or subsidizing it) for employees?

We believe that a fun, engaging atmosphere is best for encouraging participation and improvement in peoples’ lives and that’s what we aim to provide. Fitness and wellness programs are great for increasing morale and for recruitment.

But our programs may also offer benefits for our clients’ bottom lines that go beyond employee happiness and job satisfaction. Studies have shown that the dollars employers put into health and wellness programs like The Active Workplace have great return. Here are some benefits:

• A convenient way for workers to re-energize midday. They can go back to work feeling de-stressed, happier and more focused.
• Better brain functioning. Research has shown that proper nutrition and adequate exercise has proven to allow the brain to function more efficiently. In fact, researchers “have discovered that exercise appears to build a brain that resists physical shrinkage and enhance cognitive flexibility.”
• More efficiency (and higher ROI) by the employees. The human resources consulting group Tower Watson reported that “companies with the most effective Health and Productivity programs experienced superior human capital and financial outcomes: 11 percent higher revenue per employee, lower medical trends by 1.2 percentage points, 1.8 fewer days absent per employee and 28 percent higher shareholder returns.”
• Reduced sick leave, healthcare costs and workers’ compensation claims. Studies have shown that wellness programs can reduce sick leave absenteeism by 28%, reduce healthcare costs by 26%, reduce workers’ compensation claims by 30%, and produce a $5.93‐to‐$1 savings‐to‐cost ratio.

LB: What’s your top tip for employers as to how they can support their employees in keeping active and having a healthier lifestyle?

Jess: Leading by example and supporting wellness from the top down is so important. If your CEO or executives are leaving to work out on their lunch breaks, employees follow and don’t feel uncomfortable leaving themselves. Plus, if everyone’s involved in fitness and wellness at your company, there’s more of a team bonding experience.

For more information about office fitness programs through The Active Workplace, visit www.theactiveworkplace.com.