After a long day at your job, health and fitness might not be at the top of your priorities, especially when it’s already dark before you even leave work for the day.
Going home, changing into cozy sweats and ordering a pizza sounds like a much easier alternative. While excuses are easy to find, what if your workplace already had a wellness plan in place – one that doesn’t require you to leave the office?
FitBiz is the City of Dublin’s corporate wellness initiative. It began in 2018 and provides a wide variety of wellness options for Dublin businesses, including nutrition services, fitness presentations and health coaching from qualified professionals vetted directly by FitBiz.
Businesses can also choose from a vast array of fitness classes focused on physical and mental health such as mat Pilates, relaxing flow yoga and wellness walks to name a few.
“FitBiz began because we know we have more than 4,000 businesses in Dublin, but a lot of them are small businesses,” says Mollie Steiner, Recreation Services administrator at the City of Dublin and co-developer of FitBiz. “These businesses don’t always have onsite fitness centers like larger corporations or somebody on staff who’s devoted to health and well-being programming. So, we wanted to make it easy for them to provide health and wellness opportunities for their employees without a lot of added work.”
After signing up for FitBiz, businesses do not need to worry about the necessary equipment. Based on whatever class the business selects, FitBiz will provide the equipment needed – like mats and dumbbells – as long as the business can provide an adequate space. Classes have taken place in conference rooms, cafeterias or big enough areas to house the number of employees who are signed up for the course.
Additionally, there is no need to worry about classes taking time during the workday. FitBiz participants can try courses during lunchtime or after hours, with typical sessions lasting between 30 minutes and an hour. Employees can easily outline which health classes to try, shaking things up between a “Creating Healthy Habits” wellness presentation one month and Zumba the next.
Overcoming Pandemic Problems
FitBiz had a successful first two years, but like many businesses, the program had to change course after the 2020 global pandemic. Before COVID-19, FitBiz primarily provided onsite programs in which an instructor came to the place of business to teach whichever course the business had selected for its employees. However, that was not an option once isolation became a requirement for the world’s safety.
“We know that businesses are more likely to get higher participation if their employees don’t have to go somewhere else, so we wanted to come onsite and provide programs for them, and that’s what we did up until 2020 when everything shut down,” Steiner says.
“That’s when we expanded our services by partnering with The Ohio State University and Syntero,” Steiner says. “In addition to the onsite programming, we came up with a menu of virtual options that we can offer.”
Currently, FitBiz offers both onsite and virtual programs to best meet the individual company’s needs and comfort level. Hybrid options are also available in which an instructor can come to a business and stream the program for any employees who are choosing to work from home.
“It is so easy to select and schedule programs with FitBiz,” says Samantha Lynch, front office coordinator at Veeva Systems, Inc. “We did the wellness presentations and everyone truly appreciated having that information available to them. It was easy to digest and add to everyday life.”
Veeva Systems is not the only business to have employees that have been positively affected by the program.
“I have received feedback that associates experienced positive lifestyle changes following FitBiz programming,” says Michelle Rupp, learning and development specialist at WD Partners a customer experience innovation firm. “Some associates shared that they plan to keep up with activities they’ve learned about through the programming on a regular basis.”
As businesses evolve post-quarantine, Steiner is ready to face any challenge FitBiz may encounter while recognizing that no two businesses are the same. She notes that each business comes with a unique set of workers and interests that can benefit from the specialized FitBiz programming.
“I always tell companies when I talk to them that just because you might not see something on our list of programming doesn’t mean that we can’t do it,” Steiner says. “I’m 99.9% sure we can put a program together based on their employees’ needs.”
Additionally, corporate discounts are available to any employee of a Dublin business, with a corporate membership rate of $24.75 per month through the Dublin Community Recreation Center (DCRC). Any employee may visit the DCRC and provide a recent pay stub to receive these benefits.
Steiner says FitBiz strives to provide a simple and easy plan to help Dublin employees stay on
top of their physical and mental health goals. During our busy day-to-day lives, it can be difficult to prioritize ourselves, so she explains that FitBiz allows Dublin businesses to care for the health of their employees and empower them to make positive choices.
“We all know that health and wellness is important to businesses and employees, but because of everything we have been dealing with the past few years while trying to survive personally and professionally, it might not have been at the top of their list,” Steiner says.
“So, hopefully as we begin 2023, and as we’re slowly coming out of the challenges of the pandemic, companies will begin trying to map out what their health and wellness programming might look like.”
If you’re a Dublin business, Steiner says to look into FitBiz as a way to take care of your employees’ physical and mental health, encouraging motivation or calming meditation in the workplace. While we cannot predict what the future looks like, Steiner says with FitBiz’s flexibility, you can take control of what your work wellness plan looks like this year. FitBiz works to acknowledge and embrace the inevitability of change while focusing on fun bonding experiences with coworkers.
“We’re not always offering the same old, same old. We are trying to stay on trend, and we know that needs have probably changed from where we were three or four years ago,” Steiner says. “We try to cover all the dimensions of wellness in terms of what we offer. But, we’re always looking to evolve.”
If you are a Dublin business owner interested in FitBiz programming, reach out to Mollie Steiner at msteiner@dublin.oh.us or call at 614.410.4553. FUN FACT: Non-corporate DCRC members also have access to FitBiz courses. Learn more at DublinOhioUSA.gov.
Cadyn Healy is an intern for the City of Dublin. Feedback welcome at cpi@dublin.oh.us.
