Is workplace fitness finally moving beyond  gym memberships?

For a long time, fitness occupied a fairly predictable place in the employee benefits package.

Discounted gym membership sat alongside retail discounts, cycle schemes and other lifestyle benefits. Useful for some, but not necessarily considered a fundamental part of workforce health.

That distinction may be starting to change. Virgin Active has reported a 21 per cent year-on-year increase in corporate membership, suggesting employer appetite for physical wellbeing support is growing. But perhaps more significant is the reason behind that growth.

Employers are increasingly connecting physical activity with some of the bigger workforce challenges they are trying to address: mental wellbeing, sickness absence, engagement and retention.

Hoorakhsh Foroodi, UK Head of Membership at Virgin Active, says: “Yes, we are seeing a shift in how employers approach physical wellbeing. Gym membership was traditionally positioned as an employee perk, whereas more employers now recognise that physical activity can support wider workforce priorities, including employee engagement, mental wellbeing, sickness absence and retention.

“The growth is also being driven by employers looking for more flexible and inclusive solutions. Rather than offering a single, standardised benefit, they want options that reflect how different employees choose to look after themselves. This may include strength training, swimming, group exercise, recovery, nutrition or simply having somewhere to step away from the working environment.

“Funded memberships are becoming an increasingly important part of that conversation. Where an employer makes a meaningful financial contribution, it reduces the barrier to participation and demonstrates that wellbeing is a genuine organisational priority rather than simply something being signposted to employees.”

That raises an important question for the wider workplace wellbeing sector.

If physical activity is becoming part of workforce health strategy rather than simply another employee benefit, should employers be measuring success differently?

Because providing access is one thing. Getting people to use it – particularly those who are least active – is another.

It is a challenge that extends well beyond fitness. Workplace wellbeing has become increasingly good at giving employees access to things: apps, platforms, helplines, health services, gym memberships and other benefits.

But access does not automatically lead to engagement or behaviour change. Foroodi says: “Access is important, but it is rarely enough on its own. Employees are more likely to engage when the first step feels simple, relevant and supported.

“For someone who is not already active, walking into a health club can feel intimidating. Personalised introductions, beginner-friendly sessions, team challenges and on-site wellness activity can help remove some of that uncertainty. Employer communication is also important. A benefit mentioned once during onboarding is unlikely to change behaviour, whereas regular, well-timed communication and visible leadership support can make participation feel more normal and achievable.

“Consistency is more likely when people find an activity they genuinely enjoy and can realistically fit into their routine. The objective should not be to push everyone towards the same type or intensity of exercise. It should be to help people find a sustainable form of movement that works for them.”

There is an important distinction here for employers. A high-quality physical wellbeing strategy cannot simply be judged on whether an organisation provides a fitness benefit. Employers also need to consider who is actually using it.

Otherwise there is a risk that workplace fitness primarily becomes a better benefit for people who are already active.

Reaching beyond the already healthy

The employee who regularly exercises and feels comfortable walking into a gym may require relatively little encouragement.

The bigger workplace health opportunity could lie elsewhere: employees who are inactive, managing health conditions, experiencing menopause symptoms, lacking confidence or who simply do not identify with traditional fitness.

That changes what an inclusive physical wellbeing strategy needs to look like.

Foroodi says: “An inclusive strategy begins by recognising that employees will have very different starting points, needs and levels of confidence.

“The language used matters. If workplace fitness is presented primarily around performance, appearance or high-intensity training, it can unintentionally exclude the people who may benefit most. Employers should instead focus on movement, energy, confidence and overall wellbeing.

“Choice is equally important. A strong offering should include lower-impact and beginner-friendly options alongside more traditional exercise. This could include swimming, walking, yoga, Pilates, mobility, recovery and appropriate support from qualified professionals. It should also provide employees with the flexibility to participate privately and at a pace that feels right for them.

“For those living with a health condition or experiencing symptoms such as those associated with menopause, the employer’s role is not to prescribe exercise. It is to create access to suitable environments and credible support, while allowing the individual to make informed choices based on their own circumstances and any relevant medical advice.”

It is a useful reminder that physical wellbeing does not have to mean ‘fitness’ in its traditional sense.

Movement during the working day, walking, mobility, swimming or simply spending less time sitting can all form part of the conversation.

Is movement being overlooked?

Mental health has rightly become a significant part of the UK workplace wellbeing agenda. Physical activity is often discussed less prominently as a preventative component of workforce health. Yet separating the two can be artificial.

Foroodi says: “Yes. Mental and physical wellbeing should not be treated as separate issues. Regular movement can support mood, sleep, energy, confidence and social connection, all of which can contribute to how people feel and perform at work.

“Employers should not view physical activity as a replacement for appropriate occupational health or mental health support. However, it can form an important part of a broader preventative strategy.

“This does not require every employer to build a gym or expect employees to follow a particular fitness regime. It can begin with practical changes such as encouraging walking meetings, creating opportunities to move during the day, reviewing sedentary working practices and making suitable physical wellbeing services more accessible.

“Given the scale of sickness absence and long-term ill health, movement deserves to be considered a core part of workforce wellbeing rather than an optional addition.”

And that potentially shifts responsibility back towards the organisation.

Instead of asking only what benefits employees can access outside work, employers can examine what happens during the working day itself.

Are people able to take breaks? How long are they sitting? Can they step away from a screen? Does the culture genuinely allow somebody to take time to exercise?

Those questions become particularly relevant as hybrid and digitally intensive work changes how people move and interact.

What has modern work taken away?

Hybrid working has brought flexibility, but the commute, walk between meetings and everyday interactions of office life can disappear when somebody works primarily from home.

For some employees, so can the boundary between work and home. Interestingly, Foroodi says Virgin Active is seeing health clubs used for more than exercise.

“Hybrid working has created greater flexibility for many people, but it can also reduce everyday movement, social interaction and the separation between work and home,” he says.

“Health clubs can provide a valuable alternative environment. Members may train before work, take a call or work remotely for a period, meet other people, eat and then recover. The attraction is not simply the range of facilities. It is the opportunity to create structure and move between different parts of the day within a shared, social environment.

“This suggests that many people are looking for more than somewhere to exercise. They are also looking for connection, routine and spaces that help them step away from their screens. That is particularly relevant as working life becomes more digitally intensive and, for some employees, more isolated.”

That is arguably as much a workplace wellbeing question as a fitness trend.

If employees are seeking connection, movement, routine and places to escape their screens outside the workplace, employers may need to consider whether the way work is designed is providing enough of them.Put simply: you cannot benefit your way out of unhealthy work. 

There is also a more fundamental problem. An organisation can provide an extensive wellbeing package while simultaneously creating working conditions that make those benefits almost impossible to use.

A discounted gym membership is of little practical value to somebody who routinely works through lunch, finishes late or feels they cannot step away from their desk.

And that is where the discussion moves beyond benefits altogether. “A wellbeing benefit cannot compensate for an unhealthy working culture,” Foroodi says. “If workloads, expectations or working practices consistently prevent employees from using the support available to them, the organisation needs to examine the working environment rather than simply the benefits package.

“Employers have a responsibility to create reasonable conditions in which healthy choices are possible. This includes looking at workload, working hours, flexibility, management behaviour and whether employees genuinely feel able to take breaks and prioritise their wellbeing.

“Individuals also have responsibility for the choices they make, but those choices are heavily influenced by the environment around them. The most effective approach is therefore a shared one: the employer removes unnecessary barriers and provides accessible opportunities, while the employee chooses how to engage in a way that is appropriate for them.

“Ultimately, the measure of a wellbeing benefit should not be whether it appears on a list of employee benefits. It should be whether people can realistically access it, value it and incorporate it into their lives.”

That last point perhaps gets to the heart of where workplace physical wellbeing needs to go next.

The question for employers is no longer simply whether they offer a gym membership, fitness app or exercise benefit.

It is whether people can actually use it. And beyond that, whether the way work itself is designed makes movement, recovery, connection and looking after physical health possible in the first place.

If physical wellbeing is genuinely to become part of workforce health strategy, that may ultimately be a more meaningful measure of progress than the length of the benefits list.