With the recent changes in healthcare and insurance rates affecting small businesses it seems Corporate Wellness programs have been percolating to the top in many company’s portfolios as it relates to hiring employees, benefits, and employee retention programs. In addition, I have found that there are many articles, discussions and posts about Corporate Wellness programs and their role not only in the ‘wellness’ of employees, but also how these programs help to build and contribute to the ‘wellness’ and ‘health’ of a company’s corporate culture and retention rates. That said, I thought it would be worth investigating what’s up with the workouts.

To date, I’m happy to say that after four or five years of building a ‘team’ we’ve reached the right mix of personalities, work ethic and experience and I want to keep my workforce intact. I did some homework on financial packages, and other ‘benefits’ for retention and keeping turnover low, and thinking about corporate wellness, I felt this would be a great option for my team.

I found that most of the information out there about employee engagement and retention focuses on creating safe, environmentally-friendly work spaces, improving employee health, and implementing strategies that reduce medical costs as well as increase employee morale and on-the-job efficiency. To add to the mix, employers need to find a way to create work environments that are multi-generation-friendly. The best strategy, it seemed, for meeting the bulk of these efforts (and the most fun for my company) points to organizing and offering a Corporate Wellness program. Since my workforce transcends several age groups (I’ve got Boomers and Millenials sitting at my conference table) a wellness program must address the diverse age groups on my ‘roster’.

Many of the large national and international companies we all know like Google and American Express, plus small, local businesses are embracing these corporate wellness programs, working them into the running of their business in the hopes of attracting future employees, keeping turnover low and morale high, and contributing to the wellness of their employees which, in the end, contributes and helps to define a businesses corporate culture. Much of this is due to the fact that it takes a long time to hire, train and retain the right employee mix – so getting it right the first time, keeping employees engaged is worth the time and effort.

Developing a positive corporate culture is so important to me and I believe, in the long run, only benefits the company, my employees and my customers.

After much research, I decided to implement a general fitness program offered by Born Ready Fitness*, run by Mike Gulyas. As a result of team discussions and surveys, we found that a combination of a boot camp/hi intensity workout, coupled with a Yoga/Pilates program, 2x per week, satisfied everyone’s fitness needs and fitness level, offering the benefit of mental and physical well-being.

While there may be scientific evidence indicating the positive ‘return’ for worksite wellness programs, what I’m seeing are happy, energetic employees with an enhanced sense of well-being, self-image, and greater camaraderie (on and off the Yoga mat!). All of this ‘wellness’ is contributing to their health, and a corporate culture that I want my employees to embrace, help me to further define, and most important, one in which they feel ‘loved’. My employees (and yours, don’t forget) are my greatest asset, and contributing to their health and well-being, making health social and engaging, and part of our corporate culture, is an investment that offers the greatest return, and well worth it in the long run.

A company that sweats together, stays together.

I couldn’t be happier. Namaste.

*Born Ready Fitness is a total wellness company whose goal is simple, to improve the quality of your life (emotional and physical) through fitness, nutrition and massage. All you need to do is to commit to a permanent life change – we’ll help you do the rest. Go to BornReadyFitness.com for more information about their Corporate Wellness Program.