The Fittest Companies in America
Fitness in the workplace is no longer a mere employee perk. Discover the 15 fittest places to work.
by Cora Daniels
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HERBALIFE (3,800 employees)
Los Angeles
Herbalife proves that given the right support, anyone can get fit. A big sponsor of triathlons, the herbal supplement company also offers on-site triathlon training— including swimming clinics—and time for its employees to train during the day. This emphasis has so far convinced more than 2,000 employees to complete a triathlon, many of whom had never done anything requiring that level of fitness.
CHICK-FIL-A (1,700 employees)
Atlanta
Who says fast food is bad for your health? Chick-fil-A encourages healthy living from the top down. A favorite topic for President Dan Cathy is fitness and health. A marathon runner himself, Cathy constantly challenges those working for him to embrace a fit lifestyle. He believes a successful leader has to make his or her own health a priority and challenge those he or she leads to do the same. To that end, the company has a 15,000-square-foot on-site fitness center, which is huge considering that only 500 of its 1,700 employees work in the corporate office. The fitness center gets more than 200 visits a day, all the more impressive considering that across corporate America, only 15% of employees use their company gyms. For employees who spend their workdays on the road, Chick-fil-A has even created a business traveler’s exercise kit, which includes an exercise band and a manual of exercises that are easy to do in hotel rooms. In addition to regular 5K and one-mile races within the company, last year Cathy challenged employees to join him in running the Disney marathon in Orlando, offering free employee training for six months. Two hundred workers took him up on the offer.
PEPSICO (4,200 employees)
Purchase, N.Y.
The corporate parent of Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Tropicana, and Quaker Oats, Pepsico offers a fitness program driven by the belief that “healthier employees are more productive and satisfied,” says Lynn Markley, head of company wellness. To get employees on board, the company’s 12,000-square-foot fitness center is open 24-7 and offers everything from Pilates and yoga to specialty fare like tango, in-line skating, and tae kwon do. Towel and laundry service for exercise clothes is available to make working out between meetings easier. Facilities also include sand volleyball, tennis and basketball courts, a lap pool, racquetball/squash courts, an outdoor running course and a softtrack. At lunch, a recurring seminar series emphasizes a holistic approach toward health with sessions on herbal remedies, anti-stress techniques, acupuncture, and other forms of Chinese medicine.
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