{"id":237543,"date":"2015-03-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-06T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/health-productivity-and-more\/"},"modified":"2015-03-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-03-06T08:00:00","slug":"health-productivity-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/health-productivity-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Health, productivity and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Corporate wellness programs strengthen businesses<\/strong><\/p>\n

Por Kai Oliver-Kurtin<\/p>\n

To invest in employees\u2019 health and wellbeing, an increasing number of companies are offering corporate wellness programs that encourage employees to be active.<\/p>\n

The rewards of this long-term commitment to employee health include lower employer health care expenses, a stronger team dynamic and an increase in interdepartmental communication, among others.<\/p>\n

Red Door Interactive, a Downtown marketing and advertising agency, is one company benefitting from such a program.<\/p>\n

\"RedDooremployees@Fitweb\"<\/a>
Red Door employees enjoying their health and wellness (l to r) Bill Reals, Justin Gabbert, Reid Carr, Blake DelHoyo, Mallory Mahoney, and Chelsea Bakewell; (back row) Andy Bower.
(Courtesy FIT Athletic Club)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the company\u2019s top leader, President and CEO Reid Carr eagerly took ownership of the investment, as one of his roles is to set the tone for the organization and he saw this as one way to do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a personal commitment I have made for myself, so I felt it was appropriate to share that with our employees,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Carr said they chose Downtown\u2019s Fit Athletic Club as their health and wellness partner for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are in our building and were able to craft a program that fit our company\u2019s goals,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could do it as a private group so that we could share in the experience together and people didn\u2019t have to be a member; it was appropriate for different fitness levels; it fit within the lunch hour; and it was measured \u2014 something core to our business as a data-driven marketing agency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fit, located at 350 10th Ave., works with six other local corporate clients \u2014 including Downtown businesses Bumble Bee and Houzz \u2014 offering each customized employee wellness programs similar to what they offered Red Door.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of our wellness programs are exactly alike, because no two companies are exactly alike,\u201d said Scott Lutwak, owner and CEO of Fit. \u201cBy tailoring the program specifically to each corporate client, we can optimize their results \u2014 whether [their goals are] employee health, increased productivity, better boardroom discussions, or all of the above.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fit also has numerous small- to medium-sized businesses that take advantage of group memberships, which offer their employees discounted or complimentary memberships at Fit.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor most companies, the biggest barrier to integrating a corporate wellness program is cost,\u201d Lutwak said. \u201cMany executives see corporate wellness as an expensive and optional perk to employment, but numerous reputable studies have confirmed that it saves employers substantial health care costs over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wellness program options might include personalized boot camp-style classes, group fitness classes especially for employees, fitness classes that incorporate team building and camaraderie, those designed for inexperienced exercisers, or coworkers training for a charity race.<\/p>\n

Red Door added a weekly boot camp class to their corporate wellness program at Fit about a year ago. The idea came as a suggestion from employees through their internal morale and wellness committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything we do that fosters teamwork outside the office brings the teamwork back into the office,\u201d Carr said. \u201cWhen you have people from different teams and departments who come together, it fosters unique communication that you can\u2019t get in any other way. Ideas are shared and people are just generally more comfortable and in tune with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

For clients whose employee schedules don\u2019t allow for time to leave the office, Fit will bring the personal trainers to them. Typically lower intensity sessions that can be done in work clothing, these might incorporate stress management, breathing techniques or yoga poses movements that aim to get employees out of their chairs and become more alert.<\/p>\n

Red Door employee Justin Gabbert said the boot camps have helped him push himself harder in the gym, and have served as a great way to form friendships with other colleagues. Another employee, Macy Fackrell, said she appreciated that Red Door places a large emphasis on staying active and feeling good both inside and outside of the office.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe provide a number of activities to share with and inspire one another,\u201d Carr said. \u201cAmong other things, we do weekly \u2018we:30s\u2019 where everyone gets together, shares snacks and features a \u2018star of the day\u2019 to get to know them. We also have our summer games, baseball outings, [and other events] that are now traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carr said his managers and their direct reports even go walking together, something they call \u2018walking 121s.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c[They] get out, get some exercise and enjoy the beautiful outdoors,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is why we live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on Fit\u2019s corporate wellness program, visit fitathletic.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a local freelance reporter who also works full-time doing social media marketing for the U.S. Navy. She enjoys covering events, restaurant news, culture and entertainment. Contact her at <\/em>kai.sdnews@gmail.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u2014Editor Morgan M. Hurley contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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