The sport was part of private life activities. However, in recent years, the practice of sport in the workplace has created a real craze. Whether thanks to employees or employers, sport is taking its place within companies because it is recognized that regular practice of sport allows teams to relax and de-stress. As the premises are not always suitable, here are some ideas to make sport an essential and friendly practice in your company.
Difficult time to find for sport
With the evolution of new technologies, businesses, transport, and the way of working, employees are becoming more and more sedentary. Employees often sit at their desks in front of their computers all day. We often recommend going up the stairs to exercise every day, but in some companies, taking the elevator seems unavoidable because of the number of floors or security. Finding time to play sports outside can be complicated because most employees work at least 5 days a week and around 7 to 8 hours a day. There is little time left to play a sport and the remaining time is often swallowed up by family obligations.
Why do sports?
Within a company, the moral health of employees becomes the object of all attention. The expression, first pronounced by Juvenal (poet of ancient Rome), takes on its full meaning today. ” A healthy mind in a healthy body “. Corporate sport is positioned as a solution to unhappiness. Management had already carried out a study in 2023, which highlighted that an employee who regularly practices a sporting activity allows the company to make a saving of 7 to 9% on the employee’s annual health costs. Of course, employees are not always fond of sport and it is therefore a question of motivating them and ensuring that an entire team can participate. To satisfy everyone within the company, the essential principle is to choose several activities.
Such a practice sometimes slows down businesses; it requires infrastructure and time. We should not only focus on the disadvantages since it has been proven that an employee relieved of stress through sport can be more productive than his colleagues.
What type of corporate sport?
Even if this type of practice is often associated with start-ups and their cool image, the practice of sport in business is starting to attract all types of companies. Some have a more diverse range for practicing a sport, while others have one or two activities that are enough.
All sports are possible, but the most common are still yoga, indoor football, and running. However, some employees will hate yoga or running. Proposing a diversified and adapted offer will generate more attractiveness among employees to make them want to get started.
It is also not a question of spending a fortune to create an infrastructure but of knowing that three elements are essential such as an empty room, a coach, and a shower. Training for marathons or races is very popular within companies. This type of sport only requires the arrival of a coach and the provision of a shower. When it comes to yoga, an empty room will do. For a company with few resources, small gestures will encourage employees to practice a sport and will subsequently make them more attentive.
How to make infrastructure available?
For some companies, setting up sports activities is not easy. It is sometimes a problem of space, additional cost, or organization. For others, it proves complicated to motivate teams. Fortunately, start-ups have developed their business around this concept. They manage the organizational arrangements for the teams and offer premises, popular sports, and time slots. They provide quality service for requesting companies, develop an entrepreneurial spirit, and unite teams through competitions between companies.
They offer two companies the opportunity to meet up around an indoor football, volleyball, or other match. So not only will the teams play sports, but they will create fruitful exchanges. In other cases, companies have their premises dedicated to sport and this is an asset for attracting future employees, but it requires a significant budget. As for the coworking spaces, they offer fun activities between the various companies that share the space.
Employee motivation above all
Finding the infrastructure is not complicated with all the specialized companies, but the most difficult part remains motivating the employees. Some will love the idea and others will experience it as a constraint and to win, original and innovative ideas must be developed. The mattress sales company Casper wanted to encourage its employees to practice sports with the help of a bonus. Thanks to an application and geolocation, employees earn money following a sports session or a good night’s sleep. The maximum amount is 170 euros and differs depending on the activities carried out (one kilometer of walking: 17 euro cents, 1.70 euros per kilometer of cycling, and the same amount for a night’s sleep). This method was widely appreciated by employees and 69% became fans.
Even if sport makes you productive and can help your employees unwind, it is above all a matter of obtaining their support and remaining attentive to their desires.
