A fitness benefit can’t help your workforce if your employees won’t use it. That’s why it’s essential that you meet employees where they are now — and that may look very different from just a few years ago.
Today’s employees are more discerning than ever about fitness content, and making exercise a part of their routine is hugely important to them. In fact, roughly half of Americans say that fitness is a top priority in their day-to-day life.2 And in this post-pandemic world of virtual classes and personalized exercise plans, employees are also primed to expect a highly customizable fitness regimen. Given the prediction that, by the end of 2023, 51% of the nation’s office workers will work in hybrid roles while 20% will be fully remote, that personalization must include virtual fitness offerings.
Since the pandemic, the average American’s use of free online workouts has increased by 15%, while their use of at-home exercise equipment rose 13% and their use of digital exercise programs increased by 8%.3 Meanwhile, in-person gym workouts — while still popular for many — have decreased by 8%.4 In other words, virtual fitness has become a staple of daily life for millions of Americans. The market is predicted to become even more entrenched in the years to come, rising to an estimated $79 billion by 2026.5
With this in mind, it’s crucial to make your offerings as accessible, varied and customizable as possible. When designing your fitness benefit, make sure to include a robust buffet of virtual and asynchronous classes, how-to videos and other resources.
Allow employees to choose from an array of in-person gyms and studios, subsidizing all or part of their dues. Make it easy for employees to level up or downsize their membership in the program at will, so no one feels constrained. As with anything else, affordability matters — so provide your employees with several tiers of membership to ensure that cost isn’t a barrier for participation.
Keeping these principles top of mind will help ensure greater employee engagement with your fitness benefits — which can reap serious long-term benefits for employees and employers alike.