Published: July 10, 2008 09:52 pm         

Healthy on the job

Beckley business makes employee fitness available

Healthy employees, happy customers. That’s part of the philosophy behind an on-site fitness center at John Eye Big Sandy Superstore in Beckley.

General manager David Chinn, who is also an owner of LA East Fitness in Beckley, said rising health insurance costs prompted him to look for ways to keep his staff healthier.

“The more doctor visits you have, the higher the premiums go each year,” Chinn said. “If we could find a way to motivate our people to take care of their health, it would benefit them and help lower the costs.”

A cluttered storage room has been painted, decorated attractively and turned into a small fitness center with two ellipticals, two treadmills, an exercise ball, a weight bench and free weights and a flat-screen TV that can also be used to display fitness routines.

“Let’s face it. Some people just aren’t comfortable going to a gym, but if there’s a place at their worksite where they can go and work out for 45 minutes to an hour before or after their shift, we’ve found more people are willing to do that. It’s convenient, and it’s more private,” Chinn said.

Although several employees take advantage of the corporate discount that enables them to work out at LA East, many others have opted for the free on-site program.

A sign-up sheet helps workers keep track of their workouts, and Chinn does periodic drawings and awards gift cards or other incentives.

“There’s been a lot of excitement about this, especially when people walked in the first time and saw how nice this area is,” Chinn said. “This used to be an old room with cinderblock walls and a garage door. We stored old bedspreads in here. Employees can’t believe the difference.”

Chinn said he believes the benefits of the fitness program will carry over to customers.

“When our employees feel better physically and feel better about themselves, that will translate into more positive attitudes, and our employees will be able to better serve our customers,” he said.

In addition to being clean and attractive, the fitness center has pictures and posters that help keep employees motivated.

A list of the benefits of exercise is posted on the wall.

Among them are elevated self-esteem, a lower risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease, an outlet that helps smokers quit the habit, stress relief and lower blood pressure.

“Doctors have been telling us a long time about the many, many benefits of exercise. It can improve our health in so many ways,” Chinn said. “It affects the whole person. We’ve seen the changes in our employees who come and work out regularly.”

The fitness center has been open about five months.

“It’s great to see the employees taking advantage of this and to see their enthusiasm. When people feel better and look better, they project that positive attitude to customers. It makes a real difference in the morale in the whole building,” Chinn said. “This is something we’re excited about and feel very proud of.”

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com