For the past 2 or 3 years HSI has been employing a personal trainer.  She comes into the plant 3 days per week, right at the end of the shift and works out a group of employees.  This is no cost to employees and all are welcome to attend.  A steady group have been attending consistently.  Some others have come inconsistently, but have participated in a meaningful way.

It started as a way to combat the rising cost of healthcare.  It has made a difference as has education about how to be intelligent consumers of our healthcare dollars.

After 3 years I am hooked and cannot imagine ceasing to have this unique program and benefit available to me and our employees.  It is part of our healthcare strategy, which is a major cost, but it has had some important unforeseen benefits.  One is that I am personally fit.  This shouldn’t be a surprise, we have a personal trainer.  However, it is the extreme convenience of having the trainer come directly to our facility.  It is too convenient to have any possible excuse to ignore over any period of time.  I am now more consistently challenging myself physically than ever before.

Second, it has changed the fitness level of several of our employees and their families.  They are taking on new challenges, many well beyond what they ever thought possible.  Similarly, this has carried over into their work performance.  Whether they realize it or not, they are more willing to take on difficult professional challenges.

The greatest benefit has nothing to do with physical fitness.  It is the camaraderie!  The trainer pushes me just as hard as the rest of the class.  We suffer together.  We succeed together.  I believe the best benefit though, is that we really get to know each other.  Spending that time together, technically outside of the workday, the employees get to really know me.  They get to see me be weak at times.  They get to hear my sense of humor.  I get to be just another person and not just the boss expected to have all the answers for a few minutes.  It is not about making money at that point as much as it is about being human, working to get better and stronger.  This has done more to build the team and level the organization than any presentation, mission statement, or marketing spin ever could.