Fitness expert urges firms to pay attention to employee health and well being

Fitness expert urges firms to pay attention to employee health and well being

Fitness expert Sam Cleaver of Stoic Performance believes that if companies take the time to invest in their staff’s health and well being, they can receive greater benefits which far outweigh the financial investment made into these initiatives.

As the winter months draw near, businesses may start to notice an increase in staff sickness and absence levels as employees suffer from winter colds and illnesses.

In 2017, employees took on average 4.1 sickness absence days (source: ONS), with more than a quarter of all absence days directly due to minor illnesses such as coughs and colds. Adding up to 34.3million days per year, it’s becoming increasingly clear that local employers need to invest heavily in corporate health and well being strategies.

Sam’s twice-weekly group-based exercise class, ParaFit Bootcamp, works closely alongside many local businesses, offering them exclusive corporate opportunities to help support their staff’s overall health and fitness.

Sam says: “No business can afford to have staff continually sick or in poor health, so it’s in their best interest to invest in initiatives which enable employees to be as fit and healthy as they possibly can. I’ve seen people suffer from back and neck pain which has been caused by hunching over a keyboard for hours at a time, and we’ve all picked up a cold from someone who really shouldn’t have been working that day. They may seem to be minor ailments, but when you add them together, it ends up costing companies a lot more money than they may initially think when dealing with staff sickness and absenteeism.

“Research has shown that those companies who take the time to invest in workplace initiatives which are designed to keep their staff healthy enjoy far greater productivity, more motivated employees and much lower sickness costs. It really is a no brainer which is why it’s surprising that companies are still neglecting to invest in their staff’s general health.”

Sam’s ParaFit Bootcamp is working closely with local organisations to help improve the health and fitness of the local workforce. With corporate offers available, Sam is keen to encourage more companies to sign up for his twice-weekly exercise class which takes place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (5.30-6.30pm) at St Michael’s Community Hall on Upper Orwell Street in Ipswich.

Sam’s classes differ from other military-based workout sessions; he instils a strong sense of community and fun, making it the perfect choice for employers looking to invest in team bonding activities. Participants are also invited to join a private Facebook group where they can learn more about nutrition and gain training advice, helping them to understand what they need to do to become as healthy as possible.

Sam says: “Our class isn’t just a basic workout. It’s about working together as a team, learning to encourage and inspire each other to progress as far as they possibly can, and about becoming as motivated as possible; all valuable assets which businesses could benefit from. I don’t believe that healthy workplace initiatives are just for large businesses, that’s why our corporate offer is just £20 per person per month, making it affordable for even small firms.”

Companies wishing to find out more information about the corporate offers available from ParaFit Bootcamp can contact Sam Cleaver directly via [email protected] or by phoning 07972 130768.

Pictured – Sam Cleaver running one of his ParaFit bootcamp sessions in Ipswich.

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