Benefits of Corporate Fitness

Reduced Health Care Costs

It has been shown that corporate wellness/fitness programs do reduce health care costs. For example at Steelcase Corporation, medical claims were 55% lower among employees that engaged in a corporate fitness program over a six-year period.  The average fiscal difference was $478.61 for participants, and $869.98 for non-participants. - (American Journal of Health Promotion, Loize Tze-ching Yen, Sept./Oct. 1991)

• Mesa Petroleum found, as a result of instituting a corporate fitness program, health care cost per employee rose only 4.8% compared to the national average of 105%.  Their health care costs per employee were $1,121 compared to the then national average of $3,560. -  Report on Mesa Corporation Health and Fitness Program, Mesa Inc., 1990
• DuPont, in a three year study, saved $1.6 million in the first year of its fitness program, $1.5 million in the second, and $3 million the third year. - American Journal of Public Health, Robert L. Bertera, pH.D., September, 1990.
• Texas Instruments achieved a 91% reduction in workers compensation costs for musculoskeletal disorders, from $2.6 million in 1991 to $224,000 in 1996.  Also, the average cost for each musculoskeletal claim declined from $21,946 in 1991 to $5,322 in 1996. - Pudget Sound Business Journal, Sougata Mukherjee, September, 1997.

Increased Productivity

Improved Decision Making:  “Executives who workout regularly are actually better decision makers,” said Dr. Gariel Salvendy of Purdue University.  “Fitness level of exercisers over a 9 month test period had risen 22% while ability to make company decisions had increased 70% over those non-exercisers.”- Robert J. Brosmer, Deborah L. Waldron, Health and High Performance, 1991.

Improved Efficiency:  NASA showed that employees in an exercise study had increased stamina and work performance which amounted to a 12.5% increase in productivity. - Company Sponsored Employee Fitness Program, The Association for Fitness in Business, 1991

Boost Morale:  At Asstchi & Saatchi Advertising, 63% of employees enrolled in its’ fitness program cited improved productivity and 75% said that it was attributed to greater morale. - Good health Good Business, Johnson & Johnson, Second Quarter, 1990.

Reduced Mental Errors:  Fit workers committed 27% fewer errors on tasks involving concentration and short term memory as compared to un-fit workers.”- Ergonomics, Hans Sjoberg, 1983.

Reduced Employee Absenteeism

Mesa Petroleum’s absenteeism was over 50% lower than the national industry average as a result of its fitness program-  1.6 days per year, compared to the national industry average of 3.4 days per year. - Reports on Mesa Corporate Health and Fitness Program, Mesa, Inc., 1990.

Northern Gas Co. employees who are in the corporate exercise program have 80% fewer sick days than non-exercising employees. - Health Promotion and Education Programs, Riverside         Occupation Health Services, 1991.

DuPont showed that blue collar employees in its corporate fitness program used 14% fewer disability days than non-participants, resulting in a total of 11,726 fewer net disability days for the company. - American Journal of Health Promotion, Kenneth R. Pelletier, Editor, March/April 1991.

Reduced Turnover

The Canadian Life Assurance Company found turnover among its fitness program participants 32.4% lower over a seven-year period compared with non-participants. - Canadian Journal of Public Health, Peter Leatt, et. al., January/February, 1988.

Tenneco found that those who participate in its corporate fitness program were 13% less likely to leave than other employees. - Business & Health, Kathleen Doherty, Feb. 1989.

British Columbia Hydroelectric employees revealed a turnover rate of 3.5% for fitness program participants, compared with a company average of 10.3%.  - Benefits of Employee Health Programs, Cigna, 1991.

Positive Return on Investment

Over five years, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Indiana realized a 250% return on its corporate fitness investment—with a cost-benefit ratio of $2.51 for every $1.00 invested. - (American Journal of Health Promotion, Kenneth R. Pelletier, March/April 1991)

The Coors Brewing Co. found that, in 1990, it returned $6.15 for every dollar spent on its corporate fitness program.  This was the sixth year of its fitness program with annual returns from $1.24 to $8.33 for each dollar spent. - This is Corporate Wellness and its Bottom Line Impact, Wellness Councils of America, 1991.

Kennecott Copper Co. showed that, over four years, for every dollar invested in its corporate fitness program, the company returned $5.78.  - The Cost Effectiveness of Corporate Wellness Programs, American Institute of Preventive Medicine, 1991.

Equitable Life Assurance realized a return on investment of $.5.52 per $1 in the first year of its corporate fitness program. - Fitness in Business, Robert Kaman, pH.D., Oct. 1987.

General Mills in the first year of its Tri-Healthalon employee fitness program, received a payback of $3.10 per dollar invested.  In the second year, the payback increased to $3.90 per dollar invested. - American Journal of Health Promotion, e. Andrew Wood, et al, November, 1989.