The pandemic still has many working adults struggling to find balance. Remote work while supplementing children’s educational instruction and keeping them active is leading to burnout. Employers are also recognizing that team members who are working and caring for special-needs children or elderly parents have little to no time or energy for the self-care they so desperately need.

Here are four ways every corporate fitness center management company can help members stay healthy, find balance, and keep moving.

Focus on Whole-Person Health

Working from home – even if only a few days a week – provides ample opportunity for developing unhealthy habits. Fitness centers have responded to remote work by creating virtual fitness classes, but that’s not enough. Whether members are online or onsite, they need help navigating this new world and finding outlets for stress. Consider adding yoga classes, quick meditation breaks, nutrition counseling, and even daily text messaging reminders to stretch, walk around, and enjoy a change of scenery.

Offer Referrals to HR Resources

Fitness centers can only do so much for struggling members. Corporate-owned gyms (and their trainers, websites, and apps) can be a resource hub. Employee Assistance Programs offering counseling and self-help resources have become indispensible during the pandemic. Offer referrals to HR resources freely and keep EAP and other health benefits top-of-mind with regular reminders via all communication channels.

Welcome Families

Employees aren’t the only ones suffering the consequences of widespread business and school closures. Their families need health support, as well. Offer temporary, complimentary memberships or deep discounts for spouses or partners. Understand that, if you fitness center is open, utilization may be suffering in part due to a lack of childcare options. Offer onsite childcare or referrals to caregiver resources within the corporate HR benefits package to give parents an opportunity to participate in fitness programming.

Develop Youth Programming

Offering 30-minute or 1-hour brain breaks each day for younger children can allow at-home workers to have some uninterrupted time for productivity while providing an outlet for energy. Kids need to move, and often, they expect parents to coordinate activities and interact when parents need to be working. That’s a source of stress for both the kids and the parents, so any activity that allows kids to move while parents work actually contributes to employees’ work-life balance and stress management efforts.

Not all employees have young kids. Many of the children stuck at home are youth athletes who are missing out on their sports seasons and the guidance of their coaches. Fitness centers are finally catching on, developing youth sports training programs for both virtual and onsite delivery. These kids need motivation, a little competition, and lots of education to keep them active and ready for sports seasons to start up again. Just like younger children, they need opportunities to move with purpose. Providing small-group or individual training to help the children of employees focus on maintaining and improving their fitness and skills could be a great addition to any corporate fitness center programming.

Aquila offers corporate fitness center management that is responsive to member needs, offering the services and programs that have the most positive impact on their health and resilience. For the last 25 years Aquila has been creating, managing, designing and implementing innovative health and wellness solutions for private and public organizations. Learn more about what Aquila can do for your corporate fitness center by contacting us at info@aquilaltd.com.