How sit ups lift the workplace by 300%

Want to make better decisions and be more productive?

One simple solution. Exercise.  

Get brains (and bottoms) on top form.    

Are you sitting comfortably, because I know I am. Since working from home kicked off I’ve been cruising in my kitchen chair for the majority of the day and zooming from a nearly horizontal position. Most of us are spending 6.5 hours a day in front of a screen and sat on our dormant glute muscles for nearly 11. Swoop’s COO and co-founder, Ciaran Burke, knew it was time for a change.  

Swoop, the company reinventing the way businesses experience finance have collaborated with BUA to get their workforce moving again. Ciaran, believes in the power of perks and wanted to offer his employees a tasty on-trend way to stay active and get social.  

After a consultation with BUA about what Ciaran wanted: 

1. Private team bonding HIIT workouts near the office and online.  

2. Early morning sessions that splice easily into routines. 

3. Yoga to de-stress his troops. 

4. A chance to build a community outside of work.  

BUA curated a benefits package to suit. We took care of all the admin, helped employees get started, and are on hand 24/7 to answer any questions, so there’s one less task for the Swoop office manager. Swoop also have their own BUA account manager as their one port of call so there’s no faff, no waiting on hold, or confusion over accounts.    

With Swoop swapping al deskco lifestyles for al fresco and online workouts they are offsetting the health risks associated with prolonged sitting. Ciaran is also nonchalantly extending his team’s life; research proves that just 30 minutes of physical movement a day can add years onto your life <1><2>.  

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Workplace group exercise programs improve collaboration and communication amongst employees and go a long way in defeating feelings of loneliness. Ciaran sees marked uplifts in productivity and individual’s mental fitness. A session in the morning lifts the morning mental fog and reduces cravings of sugars and caffeine to power through. Better decisions have been made, attention spans lengthened, and accuracy, memory, and brain processing are at an all-time high. And it shows, workplace absences continue to fall at Swoop. People are happier, healthier, and team morale is strong. Who doesn’t want to be in the best shape of their life, supported personally and professionally, wrapped up in the warm sense of belonging somewhere good?      

Real change 

A collective change is real change. The workplace is the perfect hub to embed an exercise regime for all. Squads that sweat together, stick together. Once the fitness trend catches on, it snowballs. Group exercise boosts individual accountability – you can’t miss class because a) you’re letting down colleagues b) you thrive from friendly competition and you can’t let Bruce from Sales beat your burpee target.   

Successful companies increase the number of ‘sticky’ touchpoints between employees to boost togetherness and collaborative opportunities. At Google lunchtimes were engineered so people from different departments began mixing whilst in the food queue. Paths were crossed, ideas exchanged, and progress across departments boomed. The mantra ’everyone you meet knows something you don’t’ is apt here. Throwing different teams into social activities together mixes the pot in a way the structured workplace can’t.  

Why now?  

We are social animals. People miss coffee catchups, long lunches, and water cooler conversations with the work tribe. With lockdown ‘til before Christmas, exercising online together offers a conduit through which to catch up away from work.   

Employees are demanding more. Benefit packages must go above and beyond gym membership and basic health care. Work perks are the second biggest reason to join a business directly behind the numero uno, the salary. Outdoor and online group exercise are top fitness trends worldwide. Companies must stay current to stay ahead of the competition to attract and retain the best.    

As always, stay fit and healthy.