What Employees Actually Want
The 2024 SHRM benefits survey found that gym membership or fitness reimbursement ranked in the top five most desired non-salary benefits among employees under 50 — above dental upgrades, commuter benefits, and many financial perks. For employees actively managing their health, it can be a deciding factor in job selection and retention.
There's also a signal value that extends beyond the benefit itself. Offering a quality gym membership communicates something specific to employees: that the company understands wellness as a year-round operational need, not a Q1 initiative that quietly expires. In a talent market where culture and benefits are increasingly scrutinized in employer review platforms, that signal matters.
The Conversation With Your CFO
The most common barrier to getting wellness benefits approved isn't skepticism about value — it's the difficulty of quantifying it in advance. Here's how the conversation tends to go well:
Frame the investment in terms of cost offsets, not additions. A $30/month per-employee gym subsidy, offset against reduced healthcare utilization, sick day reduction, and improved retention rates, has a strong expected return — one that HR departments with robust wellness programs regularly report in annual reviews.
Lead with one metric your organization already tracks badly and wellness improves measurably. Absenteeism is the easiest. Presenteeism (hardest to measure but most expensive) is the most persuasive once people understand what it is.
Propose a pilot. A 6-month wellness program with one trackable metric is an easier yes than a multi-year commitment, and most companies that try it renew it.
The 5-Stat Business Case
For the meeting where someone asks, "But what's the ROI?"
- Companies with comprehensive wellness programs report up to 25% lower healthcare costs
- Physically active employees take an average of 27% fewer sick days
- Regular exercise reduces presenteeism — showing up but underperforming — which costs employers an estimated $1,500 per employee per year more than absenteeism
- Gym membership is consistently ranked among the top 5 most valued non-salary benefits by employees under 50
- For every $1 invested in employee wellness, companies see an average $3.27 return in reduced healthcare costs
Print this and keep it on file. Now you've got your answer.
