Understanding the health and wellness challenges of the finance sector
The finance industry presents several challenges that can be detrimental to physical and mental wellbeing. Financial professionals often work extended hours and their jobs are largely sedentary and screen-based. This, along with the responsibility of making significant financial decisions, can lead to stress and tension with little opportunity for healthy coping strategies.
Long hours spent sitting at a desk can be a contributing factor to various health challenges, including increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and postural issues. With packed schedules and limited breaks, it can be difficult for finance professionals to find time for physical activity. The high-stress environment may also lead some to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as excessive alcohol consumption or poor eating habits.
Not everyone who works in the financial sector will experience these factors, but for some they may contribute to a higher risk of burnout, mental health issues, and physical health problems. By providing financial professionals with relevant employee benefits – including fitness-as-a-benefit – organisations can support individual wellbeing and a healthier corporate culture.
How does physical exercise improve wellbeing?
Regular physical exercise can have a transformative effect on the wellbeing of finance professionals, and providing fitness as an employee benefit makes it easier for people to access this important lifestyle habit.
Exercise is a powerful stress-buster, helping to lower cortisol levels and promote the release of endorphins. It also enhances brain function, potentially leading to better decision-making skills and increased productivity.
Physical activity can counteract the negative effects of a sedentary job, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, improving posture, and alleviating back pain and other common issues.
By encouraging regular exercise, employers can help employees create a boundary between work and personal time. Perhaps most importantly, exercise provides a healthy outlet for stress and tension, supporting people’s decisions to improve their healthy habits.
Best fitness benefits for finance sector workers
The benefits of encouraging your finance employees to do more exercise are clear. But you need to offer a fitness benefit that’s fit-for-purpose so everyone – including those who don’t currently enjoy exercise – can make use of it.
- Flexible Gym Memberships: forget onsite gyms or access to one local fitness facility. Offer access to a wide network of gyms and leisure centres so people can exercise at a time that suits them (including at weekends).
- Virtual Fitness Classes: look for a fitness benefit provider that includes online fitness platforms so employees can exercise at home or whilst travelling.
- Fitness Trackers: consider providing fitness trackers to encourage engagement in walking as well as formal exercise, potentially creating friendly competition among colleagues.
- Wellbeing Champions: to support your employee benefits, think about appointing wellbeing champions who can lead by example and be a point of contact for wellness-related questions and suggestions at work.
- On-site Resources: ergonomic workstations, walking meetings, activity breaks, and wellness workshops can all support your formal employee benefits and arm employees with knowledge.
How to make fitness-as-a-benefit relevant to financial professionals
It’s vital that your fitness benefits are flexible and varied to suit finance sector employees. Rather than offering discounted access to just one gym, give them the option to choose from a network of 1000s of gyms, pools, leisure centres and fitness facilities across the UK. That way, they can choose when and how they engage with physical exercise on work days, travel days, and during periods of leave. Here are some other ways to tailor fitness-as-a-benefit to finance professionals.
- Appreciate Time Constraints: include quick exercise options like HIIT classes or online workout platforms to remove the barrier of time.
- Promote Cognitive Benefits: educate employees on how regular exercise can improve focus, decision-making, and mental sharpness.
- Tailor Communications: use data and showcase the ROI of fitness for improved productivity and reduced time off from sickness.
- Provide Wellness Support: as well as discounted gym access, offer nutrition advice and mental health resources for a comprehensive approach to employee wellbeing.
- Incentivise and Gamify: think about how to make healthy habits appealing and motivating to the demographic of your fitness professionals.
The goal of fitness as part of your employee benefit package isn’t to just offer a popular perk. It’s a chance to significantly improve employee wellbeing and company culture.
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.
