Between the stresses of the day to day grind, and—more often than not—the commute to work, it’s easy for employees to get tired and drained.
When that happens, it’s not surprising that productivity and drive get affected negatively. If you have a company full of unproductive workers, your business will be the first to suffer.
This is exactly why keeping employees healthy makes good business sense.
The key elements of health are exercise, proper diet, and good hygiene.
As an employer, you can do your best to have a clean and healthy workplace and even offer some healthy snacks and fitness programs.
Many companies today are quick to invest in the physical fitness and wellbeing of their employees.
Of course, offering a physical fitness plan and getting people to go for it are two different things entirely. Which is why we give you 8 reasons why you should really get them motivated.
1. Fit employees stay healthy
When an employee is tired and worn out, their immune system isn’t working at top efficiency. This leaves them very vulnerable to getting sick. This is especially true when there’s a flu bug jumping from employee to employee.
Getting your people fit means also boosting their immune systems. That will result in lowered absence rates and even less spend on health care payouts.
For some employees, taking on a more physically active role can be life-changing. Take Domenik, for example, whose job as a Service Delivery Person for Alsco in Auckland changed his life in less than 3 months.
https://www.facebook.com/AlscoNewZealand/videos/358413175057693/
2. Fit employees are more active at work
![Man riding his bike](https://www.alsco.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/man-person-summer-driving.jpg)
Image from: Pexels by Gratisography
Being fit contributes to better endurance in other fields, as well. This means that stress, commute and other physical stains less affect those that are in good physical shape.
After a long commute and a stressful day, you’re more likely to feel lacking in the energy department when you’re not fit.
Naturally, this affects the quality and calibre of work being delivered.
When you encourage fitness in your employees, you keep their energy levels on the up and up, meaning that they better handle their workloads with vim and vigour.
3. Fit employees have higher self-confidence
Let’s be honest, being in an unfit body isn’t the best way to feel confident. It makes us feel more conscious of our appearance and less likely to drive ourselves onward.
Being fit will help build your employee’s self-confidence. This is especially true when they start to notice the changes in their body. This, in turn, will drive them to go beyond what they can do and challenge them to excel.
4. Fit employees make others confident too
Get one or two employees on the fitness waggon and you’re bound to attract even more to follow. Fitness is contagious!
A lot of people think that fitness is something that other people do and that it’s not for them.
That is the precise thought that’s holding your employees back from taking up exercising.
When they see how it works on a real, live example in the office, they will be inspired to try fitness themselves.
That’s especially true when it comes to energy levels. Someone lively will inspire others to be lively too.
5. Fit employees are more goal-oriented
Fit employees often have a vision for what and where they want to be in terms of their shape and health. It can be a target weight or a target body form, but having these fitness goals actually extends into their work lives.
Fitness fans easily adopt a goal-oriented mind frame.
You’ll find that motivating your employees to keep fit also pushes them harder to reach their professional goals. This will pull up productivity even more.
6. Fit employees act much better
Exercise has long been found to release “feel good” chemicals in the body as well as release pent-up stress. This has a profound effect on a person’s perspective on life as well as their general behaviour.
![Fit employees act much better Fit employees act much better](https://www.alsco.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/man-jumping.jpg)
Image from: Maxpixel by Nikon D700
While those same people might once have been dour and glum, physically fit employees are far more likely to become positive and bright. This is something that can literally lighten the mood around the office too.
7. Fit employees are far less stressed
Apart from the release of chemicals like endorphins that promote positive outlooks, exercise and physical fitness also give employees an outlet for everything that might be stressing them out.
Be it work or their personal lives, encouraging them to keep fit is also encouraging them to vent out all the stress that has been piling up inside them.
Less stressed employees are more relaxed and better prepared for all tests and trials of the office work.
8. Fit employees notice your efforts for them
![Fit employees notice your efforts Fit employees notice your efforts](https://www.alsco.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/man-shaking-hands.jpg)
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Image by Virgo Group
Take all the benefits mentioned above and try to implement them into the everyday routines around your office.
Your employees will notice the effort you are putting out for their wellbeing and they’ll love you for it. Because who wouldn’t want to feel cared for by their bosses?
This will not only improve productivity, but it will also lower turnover and attrition rates in the long run. Nobody wants to leave an office where they feel taken care of.
At Alsco, we tend to your company’s very specific hygienic needs—all for the safety and wellbeing of your employees.
Let us take the issues of sanitation, hygiene, and general workplace safety off your hands and leave you to deal with other aspects of employee wellness.
We offer many great products in highly customisable packages. Give us a call today and we’ll come up with a plan that is specific and perfect for your needs. Reach out to us today.
Photo: tanjashaw