From Teams meets to tricep dips: the changing face of remote working

David Lloyd Clubs reports surge in corporate memberships as employers seek benefit that combines premium fitness facilities with flexible working

After five months of lockdown, many employees are fed up of working from home, but are either reluctant or unable to return to offices. David Lloyd Clubs has today reported a 40% increase in web traffic from people looking for more information about its corporate membership package, as employers look to offer their employees a healthy gym membership as well as access to the clubs’ state of the art business lounges.

Whilst working from home is the ideal for some, for many it’s a been a juggle of priorities for the dining room table. Concentration is harder, distractions are increased and with no real reason to leave the house, many have found the past few months increasingly lonely with many workers reporting that lockdown has had a negative impact on mental and physical wellbeing. As HR professionals struggle to balance greatly reduced office capacities with workers desperate to have more face-to-face contact, David Lloyd Clubs has emerged as the remote working location of choice.

As well as being renowned for their light and airy leisure facilities, David Lloyd Clubs, offers adult-only business lounges that are perfect for working. Comfortable and spacious, with fast Wi-Fi, members can work without disruption or distraction. Club rooms serve nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day and there’s plenty of workout and wellbeing classes available. The majority have outside spaces available too.

Safety is of absolute importance, with strict new social distancing regulations in place and additional cleaning. Parents can also take advantage of the kids’ after school and holiday clubs, as well as tennis and swimming lessons and creche facilities on offer, so they can work in peace knowing their children are having fun and being looked after.

Andrea Dearden, Marketing Director, David Lloyd Clubs commented: “While working from home is the ideal solution for some, many have found it a challenge. I speak from experience having jostled for a quiet space at home to work from during lockdown! Not only is this impacting on productivity for employers, but there’s a significant impact on mental wellbeing on staff too.

“Since reopening, we’ve seen an increase in enquiries from corporate customers confirming what facilities we can offer staff who would be looking to use us as a remote working location. The fact we can also help with employees’ fitness and wellbeing needs is also crucial to those employers taking their duty of care seriously.

At a time when the health benefits of exercise are more prevalent than ever before, the mental benefits are also worth considering. It’s a proven stress relief and research shows that workers who take time for exercise on a regular basis are more productive and energetic than their colleagues who don’t. There’s also the benefit of being outdoors on creativity and general wellness."

Oakwood Resources - case study

Business consultancy firm Oakwood Resources has been using David Lloyd Clubs Milton Keynes as a remote working option for its staff since launching in 2018.

“Right from the get-go I wanted to ensure that as a business we would offer flexibility in terms of working location, but always mindful getting together face-to-face would be crucial for our productivity, creativity and general wellbeing,” he explained.

“We have an office in central London and needed a Milton Keynes location that was fit for purpose. Crucial for me was finding somewhere with good parking and a spot where the team would be able to escape their desks at lunchtime. A typical business park wasn’t quite right for us, plus the cost of taking on an additional serviced office space at such an early stage of the business was not appropriate.”

Following a discussion with GM David Barker and a tour of the conference and additional private office space available Ashley made the commitment and has worked from the Club ever since. Ashley concluded: “The atmosphere is spot-on and genuinely nothing is too much for the staff, many of whom have actually become good friends. I really enjoy being able to work out before a tough morning of calls and emails and find it a really good way to ensure a work-life balance. There’s also plenty of parking which is important for team members who are nipping out on school runs.”

The David Lloyd Clubs Blog has more information about the benefits of working and working out away from home.

Those interested can also fill out our enquiry form to talk to a member of staff about corporate membership.

About David Lloyd Leisure Group:

The David Lloyd Leisure Group has 123 clubs - 100 clubs in the UK and a further 23 clubs across Europe, comprising its two brands David Lloyd Clubs and Harbour Clubs (of which there are three - Chelsea, Notting Hill and Kensington). In January 2020, it exchanged contracts on eight clubs from the Meridian Group in Germany. In March 2020 it announced it had exchanged contracts to acquire Geneva Country Club, its second club in the Geneva region.

It has over 660,000 members and employs around 8600 people. This includes an expert health and fitness team of over 2000 while it contracts the services of more than 680 tennis professionals.

David Lloyd Leisure’s racquets facilities are unparalleled with over 1080 tennis courts as well as over 400 badminton and squash courts. Additional facilities include health and beauty spas, club lounges with free internet access, crèches, nurseries and specialist sports shops.