If you take a brief look at the world’s top tech companies, you will find they all have special facilities for their employees. These include employee field days, holidays gaming rooms, restaurants, resting places and of course, gyms. While these may seem unnecessary additions to some people, but in fact they are not; rather, these facilities help an organization build better workforce and highly productive teams.
If your startup has successfully passed the tough initial days and now you see your team in the right direction, this is probably the best time to get your startup team a small office gym at least. You may not be able to afford a full fledged gym, so giving them a basic one can work wonders.
Though the ultimate benefits of having a gym at workplace are very obvious, but if you are still not convinced, here are some reasons why it is a great investment.
1- Increase Brain Power
Doctors and fitness experts agree that exercising can improve the brain’s power and functioning capabilities. It helps people coordinate their mind and bodies, often allowing them more control over everyday tasks. This helps employees function better and pay more attention to what they’re doing, thus reducing errors.
2- Reduce Absenteeism
Exercise can reduce absenteeism in a great way. It contributes to the impression that the company cares about its workers and therefore, they shall show up with renewed motivation for work. It also helps them reduce sick leaves as short gym breaks improve overall fitness and helps them to be healthier people.
3- Spread the Good Word of Fitness
Fitness is important. Having a gym in the office is a great way to spread awareness among staff as well as clients about the good effects of having a daily dose of exercise. It also helps create a sense of self consciousness about issues relating to health.
4- Less Health Care Costs
If your employees are going to the gym, you may as well relax and worry a little less about health care costs. Often, companies are required by law to help any employee with their medical expenses. Exercising at a gym is a great way to stay fit and that of course, influences the regular possibility of falling ill. This also means people will take lesser sick leaves and increase productivity.
5- Better Sleep
Exercise aids sleep. It relaxes the muscles and helps stabilize metabolism and blood flow. Getting better sleep is one of the contributing factors to staying fit. In some countries, eg. Japan, the work culture demands longer working hours than usual which causes many employees to fall sick and take a day off. A gym will significantly help them relax and get those crucial hours of rest before they resume their assignments next day.
6- Motivated and Alert Employees
Exercise has consistently proven to make people smarter and more alert. You won’t worry about employees drooling in between meetings and falling asleep over files of work. It also reduces errors and careless mistakes caused by inattentiveness. Gymming will motivate employees to work harder and be more productive.
7- Promotes Team Building
A number of employees resign from work because the workload affects them and they feel isolated. Being in a team reduces that and helps them coordinate better with their colleagues. A gym is a great place to bond. In between exercising, they may share important talk – which sustains them for their time with the firm.
8- Overall Job Satisfaction and Less Stress
This is a statement of the obvious. Working at the firm with short breaks to the gym can significantly help your employees be more satisfied with their work. Employees being satisfied with the work is crucial for their support and faith in the unit. Exercise is a great way of reducing stress which is often caused by long work hours. Better performance automatically shows when stress levels are low.
The Bottom Line:
The gym is not just a simple added benefit for employees. It helps empower the company’s goals while building a healthy workforce and a positive impression about the image of the company among circles. It also helps people realize that the firm actually cares for its staff and you may even get more job applicants with more experience and better options to choose from.
