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A fat paycheck, quality work, flexible hours, tremendous growth opportunity – few years ago, any company that offered all this would have been a dream place to work in. Well, not any more.
Employees seek a lot more out of their organizations these days and most companies are responding by offering their stressed out and overworked employees attractive perks and facilities.
One of the emerging trends in the corporate world is to provide employees state of the art health and fitness facilities on site. It is a well known fact that people who work out and exercise are often more energized and motivated than those who lead a primarily sedentary life.
It’s not just employee retention and happiness that’s at the core of this strategy, but many corporates actually believe that having a gym at their facility will impact employee performance and productivity and therefore aggressively pursue corporate fitness as a goal.
They believe a fitter workforce will lower employee absenteeism and will ultimately improve the company’s bottom line.
Corporate fitness centers also cater to the health conscious employees, who want to work out but are unable to squeeze the time to visit a gym in their already packed schedules. By providing such employees access to world class fitness solutions in house, a corporate is not just giving them an outlet to relieve stress but also fostering a culture of health and wellness.
Basic to Advanced Offerings
Corporate fitness centers can vary in terms of scope and purpose. While some corporates offer a range of facilities as part of their fitness solutions, others provide a basic workout space to their employees.
However big or small the offering, designing corporate fitness centers requires careful analysis of an organization’s goals and budget. It should imbibe the philosophy and vision of the organization, while factoring in cost. Coporates usually rely on the expertise and competence of fitness services companies to plan, design, as well as develop their fitness facilities.
The key to any fitness center design is planning. This is the stage where you as a business need to understand your needs. Decisions regarding space allocation and equipment selection will be based on the kind of footfall and utilization you anticipate.
Then comes the actual designing part where the layout of machines and furnishings will be created and placement of electrical fittings and other safety equipment decided. At this stage, it should be possible to visualize what the final outcome will look like give and take a few minor details.
Once the fitness center design gets the go ahead from stakeholders, the whole project can get into motion. The process of equipment acquisition and installation begins at this stage.
Depending on the size and scope of the facility, a corporate fitness center can house equipment ranging from state of the art cardio machines such as treadmills, ellipticals, and exercise bikes to advanced strength training equipment such as dumbbells and bench presses.
More than Workout Space
But modern day corporate fitness centers are much more than a place where employees come to exercise. They have become complete wellness and recreational spots that employees use to relieve stress and anxiety while enjoying a great workout with their colleagues.
While some corporate fitness centers bring in professional trainers, others make use of in-house talent for training fitness enthusiasts.
Many office gyms these days include space to facilitate group workouts such as yoga, pilates, martial arts training, aerobics, and the like. Obviously, such facilities need to be supported with appropriate soft goods and accessories like yoga mats, exercise balls, music systems, towels, etc.
Some large corporate fitness facilities also comprise courts for racquetball, basket ball, and other sports for employees who prefer a more active workout. Such sporty workouts also encourage healthy competition between employees that can extend to their work-related performance.
Maintenance is the Key
However, just having a swanky fitness center is not enough. Considering the use and abuse a corporate fitness center can undergo, it’s equally important to maintain the facility for optimal operation.
Here again, companies depend on corporate fitness solutions provider to ensure minimal interruptions in the functioning of their facility. These service providers perform routine checks on equipment, repair any broken machines, and conduct safety inspections to identify and remove security hazards.
Workplace wellness is one of the greatest perks employers can provide their employees. However, its beneficiaries are not just the employees who use these facilities. A fit, healthy, and productive workforce is also the biggest asset any business can boast of!
