Want More Productive Employees? You Better Read This!

Why Exercise?

First, let's talk about how exercise helps your employees to perform at their best. From a productivity standpoint, a corporate wellness program is indispensable in the workplace. Exercise has a wealth of proven benefits for workers including:

Improved concentration
Better memory
Protracted mental stamina
Reduced stress
Heightened creativity
Improved mood

When your employees are able to concentrate on a given task for a longer period of time, retain more information and think outside of the box, they're going to be more productive. Further, when they aren't squabbling or feeling bored and exhausted, morale is higher and everyone achieves more.

What Exercise?

We've established that a corporate wellness plan that places an emphasis on exercise is in the best interests of both your business and your workers. The next step is finding physical activities that your employees can (and will) actually do. Fortunately, there are many ways to bolster activity for both the workout novices and the fitness buffs alike:

Using a fitness tracker allows employees to become aware of and keep track of their activity...or lack thereof. In one recent study, office workers who used an activity tracker were shown to increase their daily physical activity and reduce their risk for diabetes after only seven months of use.
Subsidizing a gym membership (either in-full or in-part) gives your employees the autonomy to exercise the way they prefer and on their own time. Not only does this result in lower rates of employee turnover, fewer sick days and a reduction in healthcare costs, there are also tax benefits on your end!
Offering flexible schedules to allow employees to work out during the work day has been shown to spark creativity and increase productivity. What's more, workers who get flexible scheduling tend to work longer hours than their set-scheduled counterparts. Even more reason to allow flextime in exchange for gym time!

How (Do I Get Them To) Exercise?

This is where the carrot-and-the-stick approach comes in handy. If you want your employees to make time for exercise, you have to begin with external motivation. They may not exercise for themselves, but there is no greater satisfaction then kicking Bob from accounting's butt in a burpee challenge. Some examples of external motivation include:

Using a daily activity tracker
Using inKin to create and track interoffice competitions, battles and duels
Providing incentives for employees who complete monthly challenges

Ultimately, having a corporate wellness plan in place that emphasizes physical activity is a surefire way to improve workplace productivity and morale. Not only will you reap the benefits of healthier, happier, harder-working employees, but you're likely to see your business thrive and your healthcare costs decrease.

The Bottom Line

Before you can post a "you're fired" photo on the office social media account, try instituting a corporate wellness plan in your workplace. Incorporating physical activity into your workers' regimen is the ideal way to invest in your business' bottom line, your employees and their health.

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