Fitness Work : The Health Care Crisis

General information on the fitness industry and fitness industry trends, including the sources you have used to find this information.

In this assignment I am required to do independent research on fitness company “Pure Gym”, to address the following tasks, Pure Gym’s history and background, what industry it operates in, and analyse as well as illustrate the organisational structure of the company. I will be using SWOT analysis as one Modern Management approach that should be considered for Pure Gym and critically analyse two innovative strategic management objectives of the company. Pure Gym was founded in 2008 by Peter Roberts. It operates in the fitness service industry providing gymnastic and health fitness facilities across the United Kingdom (UK). Peter Roberts being the Founder and Chief Executive of Pure Gym lives in the hills of North Yorkshire and could not access any gym around his locality within 20 minutes from his home, he then decided to use walking and strenuous hikes as a method of exercise. However, Peter Roberts took advantage of the large number of British people who like himself also liked to exercise and opened Pure Gym.

Health in the working community is the ability to physically function and engage in their work, and maintain optimal health to participate in their off – work activities at home, school, and play (Greiner, 2014). A high – level wellness continuum that promotes a vital workforce requires employees to work safely and actively participate in healthy lifestyles to decrease risks of illnesses, injuries, disease, and disability (Greiner, 2014). In contrast, a low – level wellness continuum transpires when employees work and live in poor environmental conditions and engage in risky behaviors (Greiner, 2014). Health wellness programs at the workplace that provide health risks assessments, promote healthy behaviors and improved lifestyle management

The continuous rise of health care costs has meant many companies turning toward health and wellness as a potential solution to save money: ‘research is showing that it’s more cost-effective to invest in preventive health practices, such as screenings, immunizations, health risk appraisals, behavioral coaching, and health awareness/education [and] best-practice research is demonstrating the total value of an integrated, population-based strategy that addresses the health needs of all employees, dependents, and retirees across the health care continuum’ (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2009). Employers should balance providing wellness initiatives that address both lifestyle risk factors (such as physical activity, nutrition and stress) and clinical risk factors (such as obesity, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels). Both of these types of risk factors can be tied to the workplace environment, and both types of risk factors can be positively impacted with an environment that supports health and wellness. Top risk factors like physical activity and nutrition can be greatly supported by improving workplace environments to supplement the programming tied to these initiatives.

SHRM reported that “82% of organizations with a wellness program rated their initiatives as somewhat or very effective in improving employee health. Three-quarters (77%) indicated their wellness program was somewhat or very effective in reducing health care costs”. Thus, wellness benefits have increased over the past 20 years. SHRM’s report also indicated that the “most common wellness benefits were wellness tips and information sent to employees at least quarterly (63%), a wellness program (61%), and on-site seasonal flu vaccinations (54%). Additionally, more organizations offered rewards or bonuses for completing certain health and wellness programs, a standing desk, an on-site fitness center and an on-site nap room”. By having an effective wellness program, health care costs can be reduced for both the employer and employees. As a result, employees are depending on their employer to provide them with different money saving alternatives to reduce their health

Health and wellness in the work place is a vital part to a company’s success. Employees who are healthier and more productive are less likely to call out from sickness. There are not many companies that have affordable health care coverage for employees. More companies should make healthcare affordable for their employees and their family. Research has been done on how effective health and wellness programs can be in the workplace. Throughout the reading these points will be discussed. The effectiveness of health and wellness in the workplace will also be spoken of. Health and wellness activities in the workplace will be a positive move for companies and employees.

Fitness for me is strength of mind, body and spirit. Fitness is as individual as you are. There’s no better feeling than the feeling of being healthy and fit expect helping someone else achieve that. I am confident that my passion for helping people achieve their goals, strong commitment, and interest in the fitness realm makes me the ideal candidate for this program.

Today, wellness programs focus on increased support for the chronic illnesses in the working-age population, as employers are concerned with their out of pocket expenses and the effects of employer-sponsored health coverage. In a recent survey by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), 67 percent of employers identified “employees’ poor health habits” as one of their top three challenges to maintaining affordable health coverage.

A big thing for employees working out during work time is finding time and spending money for a gym membership or a rec place. With finding time companies should allow certain days or hours a person can go and work out. If companies started to pay for different workout memberships or at the gym then employees wouldn’t have to stress over paying for an exercise class. What companies need to do is have days out of the week where they let their employees go and work out. If companies want better employees and that are more productive than they need to highly think about letting their employees exercise on work

Many employers offer worksite wellness programs to combat the growing epidemic of chronic health diseases and conditions. These programs were developed to provide a different approach to promoting healthy lifestyles. The preventive approach aims to reduce healthcare cost by lowering the amount of claims filed and paid out. The implementation of wellness programs has increased significantly and now the question is whether or not these programs are truly effective.

Wellness programs can cover a widespread variety of health linked issues. Establishments profit from having fit organizations. My employers have benefited from having their employees address and continue personal wellness. Although my company does not have monetary incentives, our results are the rewards. My coworkers and I have shown reduction in weight and better physical fitness and resilience through our organization fit program. My results have shown increase in self-image,

The program was organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and engages multiple sectors and organizations to modify lifestyle practices. These include legislation as well as community outreach programs such as Health Corps, which offers hands on mentorship on diet management to schoolchildren. The Affordable Care Act also plays an important role, as the availability of insurance has allowed more people to seek care. This in turn has helped more people find out at an early stage that they are developing the symptoms of heart disease, sometimes at a stage in which they can modify lifestyle factors to minimize adverse consequences. Because employers are now responsible to some extent for providing insurance to employees, this has also served a valuable role as it has caused employers to become more concerned for the health of their employees. This has resulted in the rise of programs such as workplace wellness. This is a great concept as many people don’t have the time to exercise, and these programs provide this opportunity during work (such as during the lunch break). Many other countries have had a great deal of success with these programs, both for the employers as well as for the employees. One example is Canada, where workplace wellness is becoming a widespread phenomenon. The Canadian government has designated October as

Over time, the business world has awakened to the fact that wellness programs pay off big time. When your employees are taking fewer days off and the retention rate increases, you can pretty much say that the programs pay for themselves. At the same time, however, not every business has the resources to offer a comprehensive wellness program, which can be the case for a small business. Operating on a limited budget presents a set of challenges in terms of day-to-day work, and going above and beyond the remit

Fitness First has be renowned for its unique product line of programs and other assorted nontraditional forms of exercise taking the “work” out of work out it has garnered increased mass appeal from both media and individual gym enthusiasts, drawing in millions of new subscribers around the world. With its long standing knowledge of suppliers and specialists it is known for its better facilities and equipment, thus creating a customer base loyal to those who treasure such values, unfortunately not all consumers value this concept.

Wellness programs can be provided by employers as a service under discretionary benefits. Employers began implementing wellness programs to promote and maintain employees’ physical and psychological health in the 1980s (Martocchio, 2014). There are several different wellness programs that companies may provide to their employees such as stress reduction, nutrition and weight loss, exercise and fitness activities, and health-screening programs (Martocchio, 2014). According to the survey conducted by the Rand Corporation on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, currently 80 percent of employers offer nutrition and weight activities, 72 percent offer exercise and fitness programs, 77