METHODOLOGY:

Zeamo is a digital fitness platform catering to on-the-go subscribers (whether traveling for business or for pleasure), that works with some of the top health club brands and corporations across the nation.

This survey highlights employees’ current wellness benefits and preferences. The survey aims to provide insight into how employees feel about wellness benefits and what they expect from an employer.

To capture these insights, Zeamo surveyed 5,000 people who are currently employed all across the United States.

The data collected from this survey shows that the majority of respondents in the United States don’t feel their employers are providing them with adequate wellness benefits. This ranges from not having enough time to work on physical health, which has been shown to directly affect mental health, to a number of other workplace factors that inhibit a healthy lifestyle.

CONSUMER DATA:

Employee views on benefit negligence:

The majority of respondents (70%) wish that their employers would provide them with fitness benefits. This percentage is staggering, and likely includes respondents who do have a fitness benefit, but are either unaware or find it to be outdated and unusable.

73% of total respondents would leave their current job for another opportunity that offers better work perks. This number jumped to 78% among millennials, as well as 70% of the Gen X/Boomer population.

42% of total respondents believe their employer has a responsibility to keep them physically well, and 72% wish their employer would pay for their fitness activities.

What do employees say about their current benefits?

60% of total respondents feel that wellness benefits from their employer are the most important factor in the workplace. Of this group, millennial respondents viewed wellness benefits and healthy office snacks as the highest priorities over casual dress and working remotely.

55% of total respondents feel their employer does not make it easy for them to get a workout in during the work week. 41% agreed their biggest reason for not working out was due to not having enough time in the day, and 36% cited being too tired to commit to a workout.

87% of total respondents say they would be more likely to participate in their company’s fitness benefits if their employer covered a portion of the cost.

Men and women both prioritize fitness benefits:

75% of all female respondents wish their employer would pay for their fitness activities. 38% would take a small pay cut if it meant working somewhere that cares about their wellness.

71% of men would leave their current role for another job with better perks and 40% of men would also take a small pay cut.

1/3 of all male respondents do not feel encouraged to get up and move around at work. This number jumped even higher for female respondents– almost half (43%) said they don’t feel encouraged to get up and move.

What about employees who travel for work?

Over half of those surveyed cited having to travel for business, but only 14% said their employers subsidized their workout.

When their employer paid for the workout, 80% of respondents worked out while traveling for business.

Conversely, when employers did not sponsor workouts, only 35% of the respondents worked out while traveling for business. 65% didn’t work out at all.

CONCLUSIONS:

Wellness benefits are an extremely valuable resource when it comes to maintaining employee job satisfaction. Not just that, but fitness benefits proved to be important to all employee demographics.

An overwhelming percentage of respondents indicated that they would participate in a fitness program if their employer covered a portion of the cost. Considering the value and level of productivity of healthy employees, this is a report employers should take into consideration.