We might finally have an answer to the question of how workplace health initiatives will get a tech-fueled overhaul: Peloton Corporate Wellness, which will bring Peloton content and connected fitness products to businesses and organizations in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany and Australia this year.
“Over the years we’ve worked hard to help our members achieve healthier and happier lifestyles. Peloton Corporate Wellness is the natural extension for us to be able to scale that offering,” said Peloton president William Lynch in the company announcement Tuesday (June 22).
“Together with our Corporate Wellness partners, we’re now able to share the experience with millions more while also driving stronger culture and community within the workplace,” he said.
Starting today, organizations can offer subsidized access to Peloton Digital and All Access Memberships, as well as exclusive benefits on Connected Fitness products. Corporate Wellness partners will receive access to tailored enterprise features, according to the company announcement.
What’s Next For Workplace Wellness
Peloton’s embrace of new corporate members comes just days after a Washington Post report questioned the overall effectiveness of workplace wellness programs, saying they achieve the camaraderie and help employees focus more on their health but haven’t been proven to save companies significant money on their overall health insurance costs.
“Partly because there’s such a huge array of wellness programs in use across a wide range of workplace settings, no one study can speak definitively to whether such programs ‘work,’” a recent Washington Post report says in a report on its recent partnership with BJ’s Wholesale Club on such an initiative.
“Whatever their positive effects, wellness programs don’t seem to be doing much to alleviate the nation’s persistent health problems,” the Post report says.
One warning for those planning to join the Peloton Corporate Fitness program, though: software security firm McAfee recently discovered a security flaw in the Android operating system powering Peloton Bike+ that could potentially give hackers the ability to spy on riders or steal their personal data.
Peloton had to recall its treadmills after a child died while playing with the home-based exercise bike and is in the midst of a major consumer confidence campaign. The shift from in-home workouts to workplace users marks a major shift for the company that lost $165 million in sales after the recall and represents an effort to restore its reputation with a new group of users.
Peloton Looks To Transform Corporate Health Initiatives
Wayfair, Samsung, SAP, Accenture Interactive and Sky, in the U.K., are among the first organizations partnering with Peloton Corporate Wellness. Eligible employees will receive free access to the Peloton App and exclusive benefits on Connected Fitness products to support team building and healthy habits.
“Our employees are the key to our success,” said Dan Healey, Head of Human Resources for SAP North America, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to pilot Peloton’s Corporate Wellness program as an additional benefit to foster employee engagement and inspiration.”
“We heard from partners that they need flexible employee wellness solutions that can meet the evolving demands of a modern workforce,” said Cassidy Rouse, global general manager of Peloton Corporate Wellness, in the company announcement.
Not everyone is convinced that promoting workplace wellness from the corporate office is a good idea, though. Basecamp CEO Jason Fried announced in April the web design firm was ending what he dubbed “paternalistic benefits,” including a fitness benefit, wellness allowance, farmers market share and continuing education allowances.
“They felt good at the time, but we’ve had a change of heart,” he wrote in a blog post to employees. “It’s none of our business what you do outside of work, and it’s not Basecamp’s place to encourage certain behaviors — regardless of good intention.
“By providing funds for certain things, we’re getting too deep into nudging people’s personal, individual choices. So we’ve ended these benefits, and, as compensation, paid every employee the full cash value of the benefits for this year,” wrote Fried.
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