Pumping up the bottom line.

• Author: Ajango, Deb
• Position: Employee wellness program

Whether it is a state-of-the-art fitness facility or group rates at the local gym, business support for employee exercise is a healthy choice.

Four years ago, Greg Thoelke was hired by The Alaska Club to work in British Petroleum's (BP) Health and Fitness Center, located in the basement of BP's Anchorage office building. As an exercise specialist, he arranged fitness programs for employees and made sure they used proper techniques during their workouts.

Today, as program director of the center, he is in charge of overseeing the 9,000-square-foot facility, complete with cardiovascular equipment, strength-training machines and a designated free-weight room. He is also responsible for coordinating aerobic classes, yoga classes and for providing employees with monthly safety programs such as "injury prevention for beginning joggers."

BP's fitness center is an impressive example of how the company has become a leader in emphasizing "health and wellness" in the workplace. In fact, BP is one of the few Anchorage businesses that provides an onsite workout facility specifically for its employees. Although several wellness-related services are offered at BP, the fitness center, built by BP and managed by The Alaska Club, is the "showcase" of the fitness dividends offered to the company's employees, their spouses and to contract employees.

"It's a beautiful facility," Thoelke proudly says of the center. "We have state of the art equipment." The attractive work-out area has all the conveniences found in top-notch health clubs. Employees can exercise in comfort in carpeted, immaculate surroundings. The wide selection of apparatus includes treadmills, stairclimbers and lifecycles. And workers can forget their job worries while watching television or while enjoying a post-workout massage. "It's a big perk for the employees," Thoelke reports.

Of the 900 employees currently working in BP's Anchorage office, Thoelke sees 130 per day at the fitness center. "Roughly 30 to 33 percent of the employees use the fitness center regularly," Thoelke notes. Of that number, he adds, "Fifty percent come in three times per week." Thoelke believes the attractive atmosphere, the cost (it's free to users) and the convenience of having it at the worksite are the biggest draws. "If they took the health and fitness center away, there'd be a huge uproar."

Why would BP invest in such an exclusive facility, employ two people full time and contract additional part-time employees to...