Employee wellbeing concepts can be hard to gain traction

If employee wellbeing is a key part of your HR policies, you’ll know as an HR manager, how hard it can be to see any new concepts gain traction with staff. If charity runs (above) or free/subsidised gym memberships and bowls of fruit aren’t cutting it, let us suggest a few tactics for getting the workforce fitter.

For nearly 10 years, Muddy Plimsolls has been offering outdoor personal training to management and staff in central London from a wide variety of industries and professions – financial services, retail, law, civil service and many more. What connects these varied clients are a very busy work life, limited free time due to family commitments and, often, an annual schedule of work-related travel.

These forces can challenge your goal of improving the physical wellbeing of the workforce. But we believe that a more holistic approach can lead to great results in employee wellbeing levels amongst your staff.

Below are 5 suggestions to help your staff, department or team adopt high levels of physical wellbeing.

Adapt your exercise routine to how busy you are

Many people embark on a fitness kick by gritting their teeth and fitting in as many trips to the gym as they can within a few short weeks. Most fitness professionals don’t take this approach at all. They look at the long view of training over the current season or the whole year. Then they break down the training into smaller units of time. This ‘periodisation’ of training can help the busiest of executives manage their fitness goals. Training can be grouped into intense, moderate or light programmes, or based around specific goals such as achieving a 5k personal best time.

Adopt flexible exercise times

An exercise session does not need to be at the same time on the same day for the same duration every week. Some members of staff may prefer it that way as an approach to scheduling a busy work week, or to help with motivation. However, swapping an exercise time from one day to another, or shortening the session in order to make a meeting, is better than an ‘all or nothing’ approach (i.e. ‘I missed the gym this week’).

Use fitness professionals in a targeted way

Hiring a fitness professional – be it one-to-one, semi-private or online – is the best way to manage results, performance and keep up to date with the best and safest ways to exercise. How you use such professional services is down to how you best respond to coaching. Some Muddy Plimsolls clients use a trainer for an intense, short period of time to maximise results. Others see a trainer less often but over a longer period of time to introduce variety into a fitness regime, keep themselves on track and have their questions answered.

Is your workplace wellbeing strategy affected at times of year when gyms are fit busy? Read more

Train for an event to increase motivation and results

A charity run/trek/event, personal best goal or upcoming activity holiday such as a ski trip all help focus training efforts. They also require a specific programme which we have found helps improve client’s attitude towards the training. Because, for some, training ‘to get fit’ is too vague a concept to hold on to. However, training to run a 5k race under a certain time limit, on a specific date, is a very specific target, requiring a systematised training regimen.

Integrate exercise with family time

Cycling, walking, swimming, er, laser tag. Activities involving the family all count towards improving physical and emotional wellbeing.

Muddy Plimsolls Ltd offers hard-working Londoners the opportunity to take time out to regain their energy and to look and feel better. We offer outdoors and at home personal training for all levels of fitness.

Further advice and information on employee wellbeing is available by completing our Corporate Services Enquiry Form or by calling our office 020 7491 1235