That practicing sports is a healthy habit that provides well-being is such a palpable reality that companies, from large multinationals to SMEs, have launched to subsidize their employees’ gym membership. The objective? Keep them active, motivated and healthy to promote their work performance and reduce absenteeism. The statistics throw winks in favor of this type of measure: it is estimated that physical activity reduces work absenteeism by four days a yearaccording to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a 100% return on investment in health promotion made by companies, according to several international studies.
The pandemic has increased the concern of companies for the well-being of their employees, and there are many who ensure that a healthier team is more productive, while being more committed and motivated. The benefit of this type of policy is not minor, since absenteeism has an estimated gross cost of 100,000 million euros in the country, according to the II Report on Labor Absenteeism in Spain in 2021. And, in a world of work in which teleworking is increasingly established, there are many companies that offer training and wellness platforms for their staff.
“Mostly seek to provide an affordable and convenient training experience for their employees so that they have good physical and mental health. The purpose is to provide them with the most comfortable environment in their work environment”, explains Marçal Valls, general director of buddy fit in Spain. The appswhich offers instructor-led online training, tips of well-being, nutrition and mindfulness, has set itself the objective of also accompanying this public profile, taking advantage of this growing concern of companies.
Sport reduces absenteeism and stress for work reasons because it improves health and team cohesion
They are not isolated cases. Already before the pandemic, 80% of companies planned to increase their investment in fitness programs for their employees, according to the report The Corporate Wellness segment, prepared by Deloitte. The fashion firm Ferragamo, the food brand Kraft and the real estate start-up Casavo are some of the companies that already collaborate with Buddyfit, three projects with which the platform claims to be reaping good results. “We work with all types of organizations, including small businesses and companies with different headquarters; The platform is a clear solution for those companies that seek the well-being and motivation of their teams and encourage team building”, Valls adds.
Some companies include sports in the flexible compensation plan, so they pay the fee for the gym or the apps of training to favor the well-being of the teams. “It has been shown that workers who do sports are in a better physical and mental stateand therefore have a greater capacity to overcome complicated situations”, adds Juan José Jiménez, head of executive search & consulting in hays.
From the firm specialized in the search and selection of personnel, they point out that sport generates employees who are more oriented to solving problems. “It reduces casualties, enhances personal and teamwork relationships when practiced in an important way and, most importantly, increases self-esteem because it generates endorphins,” adds the expert.
Even so, of the 57.3% of Spaniards who admit to having done some sport in the last year, only 2.5% practiced it in the workplace, compared to 27.4% who exercised at home for their account, either using mobile applications, watching videos on YouTube or the support of any device. “Offering the flexibility to train when and where they want, and with or without equipment, makes it easier for employees to incorporate training into their daily routine, leading to improved well-being and productivity,” says the CEO. from Buddyfit in Spain
