Research indicates that today's employees expect to have access to exercise facilities as part of their benefit offerings and a recent poll indicates that on-site fitness and wellness programs are one of the top three benefits employees are requesting.

A Workplace Wellness program sends a clear message to employees that they are valued by their organization and upper management. In addition, organizations that implement comprehensive, well-planned programs experience a number of major benefits, some of which include the following:

Recruiting and Retaining Employees

• "Health and wellness programs are on the rise in Canada and are an increasingly popular retention tool" (Bowyer, 2003).
• "As Canadian employers compete in a global market, it will become increasingly necessary that they embrace work site wellness and health promotion with priority status."( Buffett Taylor, 2003)

Increased Employee Morale

• 60% of employees surveyed in a study on job satisfaction consider wellness offerings an incentive to remain with their current employer (Simpson, 2003).
• Employees who report that they have achieved work-life balance are more satisfied and more willing to 'go the extra mile' for their employers.

Reduced Absenteeism

• A study concerning short-term absences concluded that the best way to address absenteeism and reduce absence rates is to provide work-life balance measures/programs. (Watson Wyatt, 2000).
• A nationwide survey of 8,301 employees showed an inverse relationship between absenteeism and fitness levels (Tucker et al1990).

Improved Productivity

• Of the different kinds of lost time events that an employee may have, organizations often neglect the time lost when the employee is actually at work but not fully engaged.
• Healthy and fit workers tend to be absent less often, but most studies also suggest that they are more productive because they are inevitably less fatigued, and make fewer errors (Nieman, 1999).

Lower Health Care Costs and Reduced Medical Claims

• Although an individual's health risks cannot completely account for that person's health care costs, the driver for corporate interest is the view that healthy people should use fewer health services (Kaman et al., 1994).
• In a study which compared disability days and medical costs of wellness participants after one year of participation in the fitness center, average medical costs decreased by 46%.

Strength Tek Fitness and Wellness Consultants are dedicated to promoting the benefits of a healthy lifestyle with a large selection of workplace services. We will listen closely to your needs, apply specialized expertise and offer customized solutions thereby strengthening your organization.