It is a well-known and well researched fact that healthy employees lead to a happier and more productive work place.

Most company health programs offer their employees gym memberships, but according to the YMCA, only about 10 in 1,000 signed up for such a thing actually go.

This is disheartening not only because of the financial loss but because it is a clear indicator of some form of disconnect between what the company is providing and what employees are looking for in terms of motivation.

Before launching an entirely new campaign for the health of your employee(s), it is first of the utmost importance to understand the lengths at which human minds will go to resist change!

If a worker suddenly decides to get healthy, their initial three months are going to be the most grueling they have ever lived through because they are forcing themselves to form new habits.

Likewise, simply offering a free gym membership will only work to bring up tried and true excuses as to why they cannot attend. From “I don’t have time” to full on intimidation and fear, some employees may even fight off a free membership.

Armed with this understanding, the next step is to then strip away the excuses.

While you can hold all of the meetings and information sessions you want, this is not the key to achieving any form of progress.

 Instead, design a program that rewards varying levels of activity.

Make it so the activity does not have to use a gym/fitness centre (can be daunting). Have them track their at home progress through apps and reward those that hit certain monthly goals. In addition to making the goals less intimidating, those that already workout at home or not at a gym can be rewarded for their dedication.

As the program progresses, introduce more incentives:

• Host competitions between those that do similar sports to see who can do the most over the course of a certain time period.
• For those that are unhealthier or new to working out, have them compete in ongoing weight loss competitions.

Also, continually talk about everyone’s achievements. Nothing is more empowering than being praised for doing something you might not otherwise feel comfortable pursuing. Once employees see there is reward to stepping outside of their comfort zone, the 10 to 1,000 ratio will soon even out.

Frictionless fitness programs are those that remove the obstacles employees create for themselves.

They are flexible ways to motivate workers to make healthy changes in their lives.

To really get it started, focus on rewarding exercise routines that are convenient and feel safe to each individual.

Starting a brand new habit is stressful and painful all on its own, but with the proper encouragement, proper motivation and proper determination, anyone can change their life for the better!

© New To HR