How to get employees to exercise

Regular exercise is important for a number of reasons, especially those who work in an office or business environment all day. Exercise can help keep weight at a healthy level, increase circulation and flexibility, and greatly reduce the number of health concerns that are weight-related, including diabetes, heart disease, and more.

Employees who exercise are more likely to be productive, as they have more energy and are healthier in general, resulting in taking less sick days and keeping your company insurance premiums down.

How to get employees to exercise
Obviously, you can't force anyone to exercise. But the following are some ideas that will help your employees to exercise, increasing their own personal health and saving money for your company and insurance costs in the long run.

• Lead by example. Someone always needs to take the first step, so let it be the company's owners and members of top management. When the company's leaders are enthusiastic about exercise programs and track progress and offer incentives, they can influence the company culture and change it to one of health through exercise.
• Provide opportunities to exercise. Consider having a gym in your office building or a track built on your company grounds. Many companies get creative when it comes to providing opportunities to exercise. You may even want to consider reimbursing employees for their gym memberships. Often, you can get a corporate discount as well.
• Consider programs that involve the whole family. Have a program that encourages exercise for the employees' families as well.
• Make it convenient. If you have exercise facilities on site, or provide flex hours that let employees who exercise come in a little later, people will be more apt to exercise if it's convenient. Basketball courts are also great ways to encourage employees to exercise.
• Offer incentives. Some companies have found success from offering incentives to employees, either through point systems or honor systems. For example, you can offer $100 to employees who lost a certain amount of weight in 6 months. Or give gift certificates to those who work out 3 times a week for 8 weeks. Be creative when encouraging employees to be well.
• Participate in a company-sponsored charity. Many companies and organizations compete in walk-a-thons, relays, and other types of exercise-related charity fundraisers. Consider joining one as a company, or start your own and encourage employees to participate. You might even want to offer incentives for participation.
• Have a contest. Whether it's a contest that awards based on total hours exercised or amount of weight lost, a contest with a kick-off party to get everyone excited, as well as tools to track progress, is a great way to bring out competitive spirit and get employees to exercise.
• Start a company sports team. Many companies have sports teams divided up by department or small groups to play basketball, softball, golf, or other sports. Check your local recreation department to see if there are any corporate sporting teams in the area your office or company could join.

Encouraging employees to exercise may not be easy, but providing ways for them to do it will make them more likely to exercise. While it may be costly to implement wellness and exercise incentives, you should consider it an investment. Not only do health premiums drop, but employees are more likely to be happier, take less sick days, and be more productive on the job.