January is the ideal time for employers to encourage proactive self-improvement. Helping your workforce take ownership of their health and career benefits them, their colleagues, and the organisation as a whole. Here’s how to do it.
Encourage proactive performance
Empowering employees to take responsibility for their physical and career health starts with company culture. Create a positive environment by encouraging open communication, appointing wellness champions, and removing barriers to healthy behavioural change.
- Promote self-evaluation – encourage regular self-assessment of personal and career goals to help employees identify their strengths and spot areas for improvement. This process will also help you monitor how well your internal systems and employee benefits are working for employee growth.
- Cultivate a learning culture – support employees with access to resources for skills development and education around health, wellness, and personal growth. Where relevant, encourage employees to expand their expertise or gain new qualifications.
- Recognise achievements – celebrate successes in career growth and (where appropriate) flag up colleagues’ health and fitness achievements too.
3 New Year resolutions for health and career success
Personal wellness and career health are intertwined. When we are healthy, we become more focused, productive, and confident in our abilities. Here are three New Year’s resolutions you could offer employees as a way to guide and support their wellbeing in 2025.
- Work/life balance – much is said about work/life balance, but how often do you define it and clarify the resources you offer? Help colleagues achieve better work/life balance by being flexible with working hours or by offering hybrid working and communicating employee benefits.
- Education and learning – your employees may already have career goals, so ensure they know about company resources and budget that supports their growth. Encourage them to include health, fitness, and personal wellness.
- Healthy habits – New Year is a great time to focus on the regular choices and behaviours that improve fitness and health. How can you support colleagues in building daily routines at home and work to promote physical and mental wellbeing?
How does goal-setting impact career progression?
By setting clear goals, employees can chart a path to success that improves their satisfaction at work, productivity, and career health. Create internal systems that help colleagues set measurable goals, check in with a mentor or peer, and access benefits, including skills development where appropriate. Encourage colleagues to make full use of your fitness benefits to balance work goals and personal time.
The connection between personal health and career success
Focusing on personal health can have a profound impact on career success by improving both short and long-term health, boosting mood and energy, and creating a sense of self-confidence. When employees prioritise their wellbeing, they bring more energy, creativity, and productivity to work. It’s a win/win for all! Here are just some of the ways personal health and career health work in synergy:
- Cognitive powers – regular exercise, more daily activity, and a nutritious diet support brain health, resulting in better focus and decision-making abilities at work.
- Stress management – regular exercise is a powerful way to manage stress, boost mood, support mental wellness, and promote better sleep.
- Productivity – healthier people tend to be more energised, focused, and productive, with better time-management skills, which has a positive impact on team dynamics and work output.
Exercise ideas for diverse workstyles
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to exercise, so make sure your fitness benefits offer variety and flexibility. The best approach is a fitness benefit that allows people to choose when, where, and how they engage with exercise (a gym, fitness centre, group classes, or virtual options). Here are suggestions you could use to encourage uptake amongst colleagues.
- For shift workers – offer a fitness benefit that gives flexible access to a range of gyms, leisure centres, and pools so they can tailor workouts to their energy levels.
- For office workers – give access to fitness facilities that are open before and after work, and promote activity at work including movement breaks, walking meetings, and desk-based stretching.
- For manual workers – let them choose when and how they want to work out, whether that’s building strength or recovering from the demands of their role.
- For hybrid workers – ensure they have options for office days, travel, and WFH including virtual workouts and access to a national network of fitness facilities.
- For frequent travellers – give them access to a network of gyms and fitness facilities, plus virtual workouts suitable for hotel gyms or hotel rooms.
How employers can support New Year’s resolutions
Whether your colleagues make New Years resolutions for home or work, their work time accounts for a large amount of their waking hours. So make sure your systems, communications, and in-house support keep them moving forward.
This includes resources like wellbeing programmes, fitness benefits, and flexible access to a network of gyms and leisure facilities to remove barriers to participation. Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working could help colleagues prioritise their wellbeing and build healthy habits. Organisational changes, like wellness champions and career mentors, can keep colleagues focused on their goals throughout the day.
Flexible fitness benefits for healthier employees
Hussle’s nationwide network of gyms, pools, spas, and fitness centres gives your colleagues access to fitness on their own terms – with a single discounted pass. By choosing Hussle for your fitness benefits, you’ll make it easier for employees to pursue their health and wellbeing goals, setting them up for better career progression.
Have you reviewed your fitness benefits recently? Provide your employees with flexible, discounted access to our network of UK gyms, pools and spas as an employee benefit- get a free quote.
