Corporate wellness programs are designed to promote and encourage healthy behaviors. From trainers leading a fitness class at a business, creating a custom program, offering discounted memberships and even managing fitness centers within businesses, there are a variety of routes clubs can take when it comes to breaking into the corporate wellness realm.
Since being founded in 2014, Active Wellness has had one mission: to build and inspire healthier, active lives through high-touch interactions and technologies that support a better quality of life. One of the ways it achieves this mission is through corporate wellness programming.
Active Wellness provides its corporate partners with a wide range of fitness and wellness services both in-person and digitally. These programs include fitness center management, health screenings, health coaching, nutrition counseling, medical weight management, medically integrated fitness programs, stress management, mindfulness, resiliency training, massage, acupuncture and more.
“We tailor our offerings to each partner based on their vision and the needs of their workforce,” said Michele Wong, the chief operating officer at Active Wellness. “Currently, we partner with more than 30 corporations in North America to support their employee wellness programs and amenities.”
Wong explained their members and participants of their wellness programs are one of their best marketing sources — one key benefit to corporate wellness programming. “Sharing success stories and positive experiences through member news and social media is one of the ways we can grow engagement in programs,” she explained. “Happy members share their experiences and refer new members.”
Not only are wellness programs good for marketing purposes, they can also become robust profit centers. Active’s core business is fitness management. Wong said that offering wellness programs on top of managing fitness has helped them retain their clients, as well as increased the value of individual accounts.
“As we have expanded our offerings, we evaluated the benefit of buying or building each component of our wellness program,” added Wong. “We have found that through strategic partnerships we can deliver the fitness and wellness solution that each client is looking for, while maximizing profits and value back to our clients.”
For Active Wellness, one of their biggest challenges is marketing their programs to a specific company’s employee base. “Because we don’t have direct access to the entire employee database, it’s imperative to work strategically with the company’s human resources, benefits and marketing departments to develop a promotional marketing plan that complements their communication plan and brand voice,” said Wong.
Additionally, she said cross-promotional efforts with other departments and amenities such as the employee cafeteria are also beneficial. Once employees have engaged in the programs, communication becomes much easier.
When it comes to offering wellness programs at your club, it is best to offer a program that is flexible, advised Wong. Active Wellness has developed strategic partners in the wellness space, which allows them to deliver a comprehensive wellness solution that can be scaled up or down based on each client’s needs. “We’ve developed strategic partnerships that enable us to deliver a unique experience in each community we serve,” she said.
In order to have a successful corporate wellness offering at your club, you have to ensure you have the staff and capabilities to make a true difference. Wong said this is a focal point of Active Wellness. “Our focus is on hiring the most authentic and talented individuals and giving them the tools to support personal wellness journeys,” she added.
Wong’s final piece of advice on corporate wellness programs is this: “We believe the success of our corporate wellness program takes true partnership and collaboration between us and the client we are serving,” she said. “We seek to first understand their desired outcome and then we work together to carefully evaluate the programs that have the greatest chance for success based on the environment and corporate culture.”
