Incentives to offer employees for exercise

Everyone knows the benefits of regular exercise-increased stamina, lower body fat, more energy, lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, and better health overall.

But exercise isn't just beneficial for those who are exercising-businesses also benefit when employees exercise regularly. A healthier workforce means lower insurance costs, less sick time taken, and better productivity overall.

One way you can encourage your employees to exercise is through offering incentives. Incentives are a great motivational tool and a good investment when the return is healthier, more productive employees.

When should incentives be used?
Incentives are most successful when they are used as a reward for completing some sort of health or exercise-based program or challenge. Incentives are more effective overall when they are tied to actual activities, such as exercise programs, rather than offering incentives for temporary outcomes, like weight loss. It would be easy to lose 5 pounds in order to get a gift certificate or an extra day off, but the idea is to reward the behaviors, not the outcomes.

Incentives can be a one-time thing, or they can increase when bigger goals are reached; for example, an incentive for those who exercise 30 minutes a day twice a week for a specified period of time, and another larger incentive for those who exercise 30 minutes a day 4-5 times a week for the same specified period of time.

Some ideas to encourage exercise that can be rewarded through incentives include:

• Organizing company participation in a charity walk-a-thon or relay
• Implementing a points system that tracks regular exercise
• Organizing a certain amount of time per week that employees can use to exercise while at work
• Putting together company sports teams (basketball, softball, etc.)

Once you have found a program that works for your company to encourage exercise, you can then announce the incentives that will be used for those who participate in the programs or reach goals. A few ideas for incentives include:

• Money or cash rewards
• Gift cards or gift certificates
• Paid gym memberships
• Exercise or health-related equipment (pedometers, body fat analyzers, etc.)
• Employee recognition
• Plaque or trophy highlighting successes
• A certain number of "tokens" that can be redeemed for prizes of the employee's choice. For example, consistent exercise for 3 weeks will net a certain number of tokens or tickets, consistent exercise for a month will net more, and so forth, and employees can redeem them for prizes of their choice
• Extra days off
• Employee merchandise, such as hats, shirts, jackets, and so forth
• Reduced insurance co-pay or deductible
• Special outing for those who complete a program or those who place in the top 3 of a program

Not all incentives will be as effective as others. For example, for people who don't already exercise regularly, incentives such as workout equipment or gym memberships might not be very enticing or motivating. That's why it's important to find out what exactly it is that your employees will value most. It could be cash, it could be additional time off, or it could be something entirely different.

Employees who exercise regularly are often healthier and more productive than those who don't. Implementing exercise programs and offering incentives to those who participate in and complete them is a great way to encourage employees to get in the habit of exercising.