The fitness perks at previous jobs ranged from gym membership reimbursements that involved multiple forms and minimum attendance requirements to a rickety treadmill and stationary bike in the scary office basement. Needless to say, these “benefits” didn't really appeal to me.
Now, at hc1 I have a free weekly half-hour session with a trainer at a local gym. I’ve shown up for my 7 a.m. appointment regularly for more than a year. So why do I go to the gym now? Here are just a few reasons I've been able to stick to my gym habit:
Convenience The HR at hc1 makes it incredibly easy to use the gym benefit. They set up the initial appointment for you. They even bribe nonparticipants with gift cards to start going. The gym we partner with is small, so the trainers are motivated to be flexible in scheduling sessions around work commitments. It’s also within walking distance of the office, so we can take a cardio break when we need to step away from the computer screen. Not that I do this yet, but it’s good to know that I could if I wanted to!
Camaraderie My coworkers are driven to make things better — from their health to the hc1 solution to our community and global wellness. In the past 6 months, they have motivated me to walk 5Ks for the Indiana Sports Corp Corporate Challenge and for the Aidan Brown Foundation. Monday mornings at the gym, I have the chance to talk to executives I don’t normally interact with, usually when I’m sweaty and too worn out to say much. When I later shamble to my desk because my quads are sore, my teammates can commiserate — lunges are nobody’s favorite.
Kaizen Japanese for “good change,” this word describes a business methodology of making small, daily process improvements that add up to major progress. I wish could tell you that I’ve achieved my goal weight doing nothing but going to my training sessions and snacking on the free fruit in the hc1 breakroom, but I‘d be lying. I haven’t yet developed triceps that Michelle Obama would envy or even a two-pack of abs. What I have developed is a fitness habit. Little by little, I’m getting stronger. And my boss can count on me being early to work at least once a week.
Even before I began working in the healthcare data industry, I knew that my daily habits affect my odds of developing a chronic disease. Yet moving from knowing it to doing something about it is difficult. I go to the gym now because I’ve realized that I can’t take good health for granted. hc1 makes it easier to make healthy choices, but it's up to me to make my own way to wellness.
To learn more about the culture of wellness at hc1.com, and to see open positions, check out hc1.com's career page.
