HOW many times have you heard the phrase, ‘I would love to join a gym’ – enjoy a work out and swim afterwards, get myself fit?
Gym membership is often cited as an employee benefit that they would most like to have as part of their package.
In response, as of 2016, 22 per cent of employers offered gym memberships through salary sacrifice, either on a voluntary basis or through a flexible benefits scheme
While this is a worthy aspirational goal for many, the reality of gym usage is markedly different.
At six months, a typical gym will see 43 per cent of its new members training four times or less a month and will consider these individuals cancellation risks.
At the other end of the scale, only 13 per cent of its membership will train three times a week or 12 times a month.
The above figures illustrate the difficulty for employers in maintaining interest and activity for their workforce who have expressed a concern to improve their health.
How do employers tackle this lack of sustained interest and assist their staff in improving their general well-being, as well as improve their sickness absence rates and ultimately their profitability?
The answer is a focused and driven employee engagement solution, with AXA/PPP (in our opinion) leading the market in terms of design, implementation and results.
Their Pro-Active Health Wellbeing programmes shows a 30-60 per cent engagement rate after a 2-year period, with demonstrable changed behaviour patterns for employees, resulting in improved health and performance, backed up by relevant and comprehensive MI data.
A typical programme will encompass the following:
* Pro-Active Health – An Online Communication Portal.
Allowing companies to create personalised campaigns, via their own logo & branding, including their own specific calls to action to address specific health issues.
The portal contains – all service guides, all supporting material, posters, infographics, factsheets.
Creation of a Wellbeing Calendar
Relevant & regular health and wellbeing topics are promoted with a range of interactive tools and resources.
Subjects such as mental health, lifestyle and nutrition, and exercise routines are all available allowing employees to engage and create personalised action plans and goal setting.
Pro-active Points – Reward Scheme
Allows staff to register their chronological age against their health age by answering questions on diet and exercise, alcohol consumption & sleep patterns, individuals can then track progress and reach achievement goals and receive rewards on their performance.
All the above tools can be integrated via downloadable apps to personalise the experience, so it is a take anyway healthcare programme.
Management Information
Relevant MI data is supplied and this is compared to a similar corporate average with before and after results for the individual business.
All this data is naturally non-personalised and data protection compliant
The staggering statistic is that nine per cent of any average workforce will have 10 health risks out of the 15 most commonly tested.
To assist businesses in addressing these critical health issues AXA/PPP will train and sponsor in- house health ambassadors, provide presentations and offer a range of tailored packages.
We believe this structured approach from AXA/PPP will allow corporate employers to engage their workforces in a mutually beneficial health and wellbeing programme that delivers for both parties in the long term.
For more details on this programme and assistance in all aspects of health and wellbeing strategies – please contact: Michael Cox – senior health and wellbeing advisor – Redwood Employee Benefits Services Ltd – 01604 661144 or email
