Companies – Save Money in the Long Run

Recent studies have shown that companies who invested in a corporate fitness program saw a return to their investment of up to 400%.

That’s quadruple the percentage. Many corporations nowadays wants to improve the health and productivity of their employees and reduce their health-related cost, primarily by helping change the pattern of their lifestyle and behavioural choices of individuals. I have seen how a well-structured fitness program can give such tremendous returns on so many different levels.

For example:

• Employees will become more fit and healthy which lessens sick days and health care costs.
• Fitter employees are more productive, more creative and alert.
• Employees appreciate a well-structured fitness program and this would help to create loyalty and lower employee turnover.

Health is indeed a good business investment. Ross DeVol of the Milken Institute seems to thinks so. In fact, he believes an investment now will add billions of dollars in economic growth over the next few decades. The Milken Institute Study of 2007, for which DeVol was the principal author, recommends “more incentives to promote prevention and early intervention, and a renewed national commitment to achieve a healthy body weight. Should corporations focus on preventing and treating chronic disease? Is that where the biggest cost savings lie?

Numerous researches are done that supports work-based health initiatives. Life Time Fitness and Medica Health Insurance did a 2-year study and found out,

• Members who exercised decreased their average healthcare claim by 33.6% on a per-member, per-month basis.
• 13% decrease in physician claims
• 9% decrease in prescription claims.

Corporate participation plays a big part in employee wellness, no matter how insignificant it might be in the first place, has a positive impact. Whether it’s a booklet or an on-site wellness facility, companies that invest in wellness programs reap savings, increase productivity and improve employees’ health. A benefit-to-cost ratios ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 in benefits for every dollar spent on the program was seen in a recent review of health promotion and disease management programs.

A worksite health study was done by the American College of Sports Medicine to examine the effects of a comprehensive worksite health program for a larger employee sample size (157), open to both normal-weight and overweight workers, most of whom were leading sedentary or low-activity lifestyles. They found out those employees who completed the 12-week intervention and the six-month follow-up intervention experienced greater calorie expenditure per week and more steps per day.

More often than not, we want your employees to be active throughout the day and work together to get the fitness focus in your corporation. Get those sweat pants out and work out to a better, healthier work lifestyle by training with us.

From your corporate fitness friends at TFG.