With their insulated polar water bottle, Product Architects, Inc. has spent seventeen years helping customers maintain healthy lifestyles. Now, they have decided to help their employees do the same. A new health initiative at their headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, provides both fitness programs and consultations with health professionals for all 40 employees.
The company began the initiative by joining charity fitness challenges, allowing their employees to get active while also raising money for those in need. Some climbed 56 flights of stairs at the Republic Plaza Building in Denver as part of the American Lung Association’s Fight For Air Climb. Some participated in a 5K run/walk for International Women’s Day, and others did a 5K run/walk for epilepsy. These first three events had a 100% employee participation rate, with everyone taking part in at least one.
They have also partnered with Nutrition Inc., a health education company who led health lectures and provided one-on-one meetings for more personal guidance. The company has also been encouraging employees to walk or bike to work, placing its new headquarters near Boulder bike paths and implementing shower facilities. Now, about 25% of all employees regularly bike to work, using worldcommute.com to keep track of their mileage, how much money they save on fuel each day, and to tally the reduction of their carbon footprint. One employee logs an average of 31 miles on his bike each day.
The company boasts that the initiative has led to fewer employee sick days and better overall health and morale. So why not try leaving your car in the garage for a while and seeing if you, too, can jump on the biking bandwagon? It may just give you that extra energy boost you need to improve your workday.
