HR Info
Can Exercise Strengthen Your Relationships? You Bet!

Employers, government agencies and health care providers, listen up! If you'd like to strengthen your relationship with your aging workforce, member base and other key audiences, find innovative ways to help them exercise. That's the consensus arrived at in a recent poll that LifeCare conducted on its private web site among employees and members of its 1,500 client organizations. The poll asked, “If you were to change one thing about your lifestyle as you age, what would it be?” Here's how respondents answered:

	Exercise more — 52%
	Eat healthier — 18%
	Reduce my stress level — 16%
	Stop smoking — 10%
	Eliminate caffeine — 1%
	Other — 3%

“Obviously, people would appreciate help in any of these areas but exercise was the clear favorite here,” said LifeCare CEO Peter G. Burki. “Give them innovative assistance with exercise and you'll see real dividends in terms of increased satisfaction, loyalty, productivity and retention levels.”

Since many organizations can't afford on-site fitness centers, Burki recommends considering the following alternatives: resource and referral resources for fitness clubs and classes, health club membership reimbursements, arranging for a group rate on local classes (aerobics, Pilates, yoga, etc.), starting walking or biking groups, and sponsoring company sports teams. Employers often hear workers cite lack of time as their main barrier to exercise. If this is the case, Burki suggests offering flexible work hours to enable employees to participate in physical activities during the day. Other incentives—such as a cash bonus for physical activity or increases in healthcare costs for those who do not show evidence of physical activity—can provide a useful “carrot and stick” approach, depending on your culture.

“There's a big difference between wanting to make better lifestyle choices and actually doing it,” Burki says. “To help people really take action, we need to eliminate as many obstacles and create as many opportunities as possible.” As Burki points out, the benefits of doing so accrue to everyone and include lower medical costs, an enhanced corporate image, decreases in absenteeism and turnover, fewer employee/member injuries, and higher satisfaction and retention levels.