A new survey from PEAR Health Labs, provider of the leading comprehensive fitness solution, Aaptiv, and HR Dive’s studioID revealed that flexible fitness benefits are more popular and more rewarding than their one-size-fits-all counterparts. Fitness offerings that provide versatility and personalization drive adoption among employees and increase the return on investment for employers, too.

The survey explored the intersection of workplace flexibility and fitness benefits. In it, more than 150 HR leaders from companies with 2,500 employees or more shared the fitness benefits their companies do and do not offer, how employees use them and the return those offerings provide.

Key findings include:

• Which fitness benefits employers offer most often (or plan to).
• The popularity of fitness benefits based on employee use.
• What barriers employees face when it comes to using fitness benefits.

The survey’s findings continually highlighted the importance of flexibility, personalization and comprehensiveness in fitness benefits. These qualities encourage fitness offerings’ widespread use, and they also better position benefits to enhance health outcomes among employees, according to Ashley Summers, vice president of customer success at PEAR Health Labs, provider of the leading comprehensive fitness solution, Aaptiv.

When employers offer fitness benefits that equip, motivate and empower employees to exercise, they’ll see multiple advantages play out in their workplaces. Survey respondents reported strong connections between certain benefits — like fitness incentives and free or discounted fitness coaching — and outcomes like increased productivity, decreased employee turnover and lower healthcare costs. Summers pointed out another positive impact: Flexible fitness offerings deliver on employees’ strong demand for flexibility in all facets of their work. 

“As human beings, we want choice,” Summers said. “And we’re seeing a new level of choice being delivered, both in the way fitness is approached and the way benefits are approached in general.”

Choice – supported by fitness benefits that are accessible, convenient and customizable – is essential in workplaces that host employees of all fitness levels, from hesitant beginners to seasoned athletes. 

In fact, the survey revealed that the main obstacles preventing employees from using fitness benefits were a lack of interest in the benefits and a lack of time for fitness activities. These results highlight the importance of diversity in fitness benefits’ offerings. Fitness benefits that offer a multitude of options — from the type of exercise and the setting of the activity to the length of sessions and intensity of workouts — will reach more employees.

Fitness apps with short virtual classes, for example, can catch the attention of employees who hate going to the gym. Regardless of the reason they avoid fitness centers, these workers may enjoy online classes that make their fitness goals more approachable. An app may encourage employees to take a guided power walk during their lunch break. Or it may allow fitness novices to experiment with exercises and workout classes in the comfort and privacy of their living room.

“The thought of exercise can be overwhelming. People think of it as something uncomfortable,” Summers said. “But it’s important to show people that exercise can be as simple as standing up, taking a short walk and coming back to your desk.”

See the full survey report.

To learn more about bringing flexible, personalized benefits to your workforce, visit aaptiv.com/employers.