8 Companies Tackling Employee Wellbeing with Urban Sports Club

Employee Health is Wealth 

As we’ve seen in 2020’s largest ‘work from home experiment,’ working from outside the office hasn’t just changed our daily work routine, but also our leisure time habits. Work-life balance has been more difficult than ever to maintain, while burnout abounds and social distancing has replaced many of our everyday interactions.  

On the positive side, physical activity has increased. In summer 2020, Sport in the “New Normal”: Study by Urban Sports Club revealed a 4% increase in members starting their day with physical activity — compared to 2019, with a total of 33% of all check-ins taking place between 6am and 12pm.  

Adding to that, the number of fitness classes attended by colleagues together has doubled since we entered the new normal in March. 

More insights into what the summer 2020 numbers tell us  . . . . 

•  80% of Urban Sports Club members trained on site with partners or outdoors, the remaining streamed their live course from their living rooms
•  A total of 14% of check-ins came via online courses, streamed live
• In Munich the figure is as high as 23%, in Berlin 21% and in Hamburg 18%
• Women are more likely to try online offerings than men
• Across the board, we’re seeing more and  companies who are making the best of new and changing circumstances by enhancing their employee wellness programs

Why Now Is the Time to Invest in Employee Wellness  

The workplace today is a combination of:

• Fully remote workers 
• Hybrid (some in the office some days, other days travelling or working remote 2 or more days a week) 
• Full-time in-house

This combination of where people work is about choices. The same goes for your employee wellness options. That is, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work — having diverse and dispersed teams is about meeting your employees where they want to be. For some, this may be a 30-minute online guided meditation, while others crave an in-person experience (at a social distance) with an outdoor HIIT session.

The goal is to motivate and inspire your teams: not pressure or force. 

Bottom line: Your employees want to know they are important and they matter. When people don’t feel appreciated, performance goes down. When people feel mentally and physically unwell or unfit, performance goes down. 

How It’s Done Right: Show Don’t Tell 

Ensuring the physical and psychological health,  and social wellbeing is maintained when most interactions are at distance and in a virtual setting is more important than ever. 

In these challenging times, your employees want you to show them how you care. Keep these tips in mind: 

• Focus on appreciation 
• Focus on retention and talent
• Focus on increased morale and wellbeing

One of the tactics we’ve seen with the most impact is inclusive and accessible programs that employees actually want to use, such as access to their favourite group sport. 

The new work-from-home set-up makes it possible to participate in workout sessions flexibly from home. Great news for working from home parents who need a meditation break or your workers who live alone and long for the social interactions that a group class can give. 

8 Companies: 8 Approaches to Wellness with Urban Sports Club 

Ready to get inspired? Here’s how 8 different companies (from small to medium-size) are taking an employee-first approach with Urban Sports Club as the glue for better relationships in and outside the company.

1. Amorelie.de / Sonoma

The pace of any great start-up is always fast-moving. With more than 130 employees, this Berlin success story boasts more than 130 employees from a range of backgrounds.  The people of Sonoma stay motivated and productive thanks to flexible working hours, home office and team events, which are weaved into the culture.   

How the Team Taps into Urban  Sports Club

An Urban Sports Club membership is part of the employee benefits package. Online classes are used the most with this international team, offering morning, afternoon and evening opportunities to burn off stream or stretch it out with thousands of live-streaming options.  This means there’s always a way to squeeze in a workout: and from the comfort of wherever they are working from. 

2. BCG Digital Ventures

BCG Digital Ventures is the corporate innovation and digital business-building arm of Boston Consulting Group. Head to its benefits page and the first sentence you’ll notice is “Employee wellbeing = Priority #1.”  Here, a healthy and balanced life is not only encouraged, but also backed up with benefit options, tools, resources and incentives. 

How the Team Taps into Urban  Sports Club 

With social distancing on everyone’s mind during the first lockdown of the global pandemic, employees were given a choice of putting their memberships on hold or taking advantage of the new way of staying fit: live stream classes. Online classes were the most used and as regulations are in constant flux, the team is set up with hundreds of options to stay physically and mentally fit from the comfort of home.  

3. Leapsome

Leapsome is the platform for Performance Management & Employee Engagement. They don’t talk the talk, they walk the walk — with employee wellbeing being the number one priority for this small but mighty start-up. Flexible working hours, regular team events and a membership with Urban Sports Club are part of the benefits package. 

How the Team Taps into Urban  Sports Club 

As the company grew, so did their Urban Sports Club member base. The benefit is fully integrated into the wellness offerings and during the pandemic, it became an integral part of enhancing employee culture. The team made the best of the home office by organizing an activity challenge: both in-person and online classes to keep social connections going and boost physical health and overall wellbeing. 

4. Enduco

Changing the way people experience endurance sports, the team at this Saarbrücken software company is no stranger to sport. Exercise and its impact on physical and mental health are part of this company’s DNA, making an Urban Sports Club membership any easy win for its team members. 

How the Team Taps into Urban  Sports Club 

In-person classes are this team’s top choice.  With over 50 sports to choose from including yoga, bouldering, swimming, cross-training, wellness and much more, there’s an activity for everyone. 

5. Cormes

With the majority of employees working remotely during 2020, the team encourages work-life balance as part of the culture. One of the ways they show this is with Urban Sports Club memberships and public transportation tickets.

How the Team Taps into Urban  Sports Club 

Employees take advantage of online and onsite classes, although they have been a bit reluctant to go to the sports venues since the pandemic. That being said, they consider the online live-stream classes integral for physical fitness. 

6. Commercetools

This young, dynamic and international team of more than 200, encourages turns to sport and exercise as a healthy distraction from work. In addition to Urban Sports Club, they organize corporate runs and sporty lunch breaks (pre-Covid). 

How the Team Taps into Urban  Sports Club 

Before the pandemic, employees were playing sports together in-person. Now,  with most employees currently working remotely, teams are staying connected with one another through online classes. This is an excellent example of how employees come together through physical activity to boost productivity and ensure motivation doesn’t suffer. 

7. Mambu

Health and wellbeing is a top focus at Mambu.  With more than 400 employees,  the HR team fosters a culture of a great work-life balance. Perks range from a 4-day-working-week in summer, to extraordinary team getaways and Urban Sports Club. 

How the Team Taps into Urban  Sports Club

Employees have access to online or in-person classes via USC. During the lockdown times of 2020, when in-person sessions were not an option,  employees were able to quickly switch to online classes. The expanded offerings and choices made this an accessible option for all. 

8. Diakonie Klinikum

Healthcare workers, both in the front lines and behind the scenes, are juggling multiple responsibilities and days are often stress-filled and full.  Here, employees are empowered to put their health first and are offered a range of benefits to make their daily working routine easier: childcare, a health management program and company pension scheme. Urban Sports Club was introduced in July 2020 to show appreciation for their employees’ contribution.

How the Team Taps into Urban  Sports Club

The Diakonie Klinikum team takes both online and in-person classes. When livestream classes are the only options, due to coronavirus measures for example, employees can choose whether to pause their membership or continue with livestream options. What employees here like most is flexibility and the number of activity options. 

Make it Easy for Your Employees to Make Their Wellbeing a Priority 

Today’s remote working culture means our office can be anywhere.  With this new flexibility come new routines and new ways employees are spending their leisure time.  

As an employer, you play an integral role in ensuring employee health and morale are soaring, not suffering — regardless of where your teams are working from. So now, when in-person interactions aren’t as regular, you can ensure your employees feel connected and are maintaining a work-life balance. 

One of the easiest ways to start this right now is to offer your teams wellness classes of their choice: from boutique spinning classes to solo sessions on a yoga mat. 

The bottom line: Not only is it good for business,  but it’s also even better for building strong social connections across your entire company.  

---

Your Path to Healthy Company Culture 

Are you ready to give your employees a ticket to an active and healthy lifestyle? For more information, visit our corporate sports page.