Workplace Wellness 
A Movement to Bring Wellness to the Workplace 
By Maya Loeb, Lab Secretary in the Loeb Lab 

 
Table of Contents:
 
Executive Summary​…………………………………………………………​2

The Problem​………………………………………………………………....​3

Project Description​…………………………………………………………..​5

Cost Analysis​………………………………………………………………...​6

Assessment Strategy​…………………………………………………………​7

Conclusion​…………………………………………………………………...​8

Appendix​……………………………………………………………………..​9

Works Cited​………………………………………………………………….​10

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Executive Summary

At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch)​1​, employees tend to spend the
majority of the day sitting at their desk doing research on their computers or looking under a
microscope. Sitting for long periods is proven to have negative implications on one’s health and
can result in lower energy, motivation, and productivity in the workplace. Being a lab secretary
for a summer at the Fred Hutch, I spent most of my days sitting at a desk, ordering materials, and
organizing inventory. I also had few interactions with other labs, except for the few we
researched with.

Getting more active and promoting collaborations are two problems I would like to address in
this proposal. Workplace Wellness is a movement that aims to address both of these problems by
providing employees more opportunities to get to know​ ​one another and collaborate, as well as
allowing them the chance to focus on their health.

Globally, companies have been evolving their work environment to make it more collaborative
and focused on the health of their employees. Implementing adjustable desks would allow
employees to choose between a sit or stand position. In a study done by Texas A&M Health
Science Center School of Public Health, they found that call center employees, who sit all day,
were 46% more productive when they used sit-stand desks. To enhance the benefits of
movement and collaboration, I also propose we partner with ClassPass to provide midday
workout classes for employees.

The effects of this initiative will impact every employee at the Fred Hutch. We will see an
increase in productivity, innovation, and a health-focused work environment. Stressing wellness
and working together can only be positive, and in turn can lead to finding a cure to cancer faster.  

1
​Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center is a non-profit organization founded in 1975 in Seattle, Washington. They
focus on eliminating cancer and related diseases that cause human suffering and death.
The Problem

In a BBC News Report it was said that “sitting or lying down for too long increases your risk of
chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.” Additionally, in
another study, prolonged sitting was also linked to poor mental health. However, for those with
nine to five office jobs, sitting for the majority of the day is very common.

Sitting for long periods

impacts not only employee’s health and productivity but also creates a less interactive
environment. With employees sitting all day doing research and experiments, they have fewer
opportunities to walk around. Standing desks make it easier for employees to stretch their legs
while still doing crucial work. In bigger labs, adjustable desks can be grouped together to
encourage communication between lab members.

Partnering with ClassPass and providing

credits to employees will allow them to
take a break and workout anywhere from
30-45 minutes midday, in hopes of
improving ones ability to focus and thus
increasing productivity. Employees can
also attend classes together, which will
promote getting to know each other
better. It is essential that employees are
comfortable with their co-workers and
can take the time to get to know them. By
doing so, employees can work more
effectively together on various research
projects to progress findings on cancer.
Project Description

Workplace Wellness is a dual step initiative, which is aimed to help employees improve their
health and increase collaboration between labs.

Part One:​ ​Buy all employees an adjustable desk. That way employees can decide when they
would like to stand or sit. While this is a simple step, it is effective. Zenreach, a marketing
start-up based in San Francisco, added adjustable height desk risers for their sales team, which
boosted employee’s morale, eliminated fatigue, and re-energized their employees. Providing our
employees the option to stand will improve their health, reduce chronic back pain, and give them
more energy to focus on their research and experiments.

Part Two:​ ​Partner with ClassPass so employees can book a workout class at a top studio, live
stream a class from the world’s best trainers, or play a workout on demand. Doing so will
improve employee’s health since they will be given the opportunity to exercise for 30-45 minutes
midday and take a break from work. According to Forbes, exercising on the clock leads to
building more social connections, relieving stress, keeping one’s heart-healthy, more energy,
increasing productivity, and helps prevent diseases like diabetes. Consistent exercising has ample
benefits and will have an impact on employees to help them be more productive.

These steps will enhance socializations among labs and employees. Partnering with ClassPass
will allow employees to unplug from work for a period of time midday and may prompt them to
take classes with other Fred Hutch employees to promote collaboration back in the workplace.
Additionally, having standing desks could prompt employees to walk to another lab to ask a
question instead of just collaborating with the lab they work in. Implementing these solutions
will allow us to have a more social and healthier work environment, which enhances productivity
to find new and effective ways to treat our patients.
Cost Analysis

Direct Costs:

Desk Purchases:
We plan to purchase these desks on Amazon. The desk we plan to purchase is shown below.
Item #Units Needed Cost per Unit Total Cost

Desks 3,500 $220 $770,000

Salaries Lost from Midday Workout:

Average Hourly Short Term Loss Long Term Loss

Salary (300 employees, 3 (1,500 employees, 3
days a week, 45 min days a week, 45 min
class) class)

$30.65 Around $20,000/week Around

$100,000/week
ClassPass Costs:

Short Term Monthly Cost Long Term Monthly Cost

(300 Employees) (1,500 Employees)

$12,300 $61,500
Assessment Strategy

Short Term Benefits

● More communication between members of labs from having adjustable desks clustered
next to each other and attending midday workout classes together.
● Increased energy and focus among employees from moving more throughout the day.
● Changing the work-culture to focus more on employee’s health by not having them
remain stagnant all day.

Long Term Benefits

● The positive benefits from this plan will overall impact the company and result in
employees operating more efficiently, which will lead to the Fred Hutch being more
productive.
● Employees that take the time to focus on their health will have more energy and be more
productive on a daily basis at work.

How to Make the Initiative Stick

● This initiative benefits every employee as it is targeted towards the whole company.
Wellness has been one of the biggest trends of 2020, so Workplace Wellness will appeal
to many employees’ personal interests. Employees will participate in the midday workout
classes and appreciate the standing desks since they get to be more active throughout the
day. The benefits will improve their productivity and may lead to them being promoted
or gaining other rewards.
● Adding standing desks is a simple idea, but once we implement them, employees will get
used to them. When they need to be replaced it would have become the culture to have
adjustable desks, and the Fred Hutch will continue to re-purchase them.

 
Conclusion

Workplace Wellness is a dual step initiative that aims to accomplish two goals: improve
employee health and increase communication amongst Fred Hutch members.

The first part is to change all employees’ desks to adjustable ones. That way employees no
longer have to remain stagnant for long periods of time. Having this option will encourage them
to stand more frequently and improve their overall health. Adjustable desks can also lead to
increased communication as the cluster set up will encourage lab members to interact more.

The second part of the initiative is to partner with ClassPass to provide employees the
opportunity to participate in midday workouts. ClassPass makes it easy to find the right workout
whether it is in a studio, live streaming, or on-demand. Taking 30-45 minutes a day will allow
employees to not only get moving but to meet other colleagues. It is essential that employees are
comfortable with one another to ensure a great work culture. Meeting more people will also lead
to an increase in collaboration and helps labs come together to research as efficiently as possible.
Appendix
 
To: All Members of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
FROM: Maya Loeb, Lab Secretary
DATE: 11/4/2020
SUBJECT: Implementing Workplace Wellness

Dear Fellow Colleagues at the Fred Hutch,

I am super excited to announce that we will be implementing “Workplace Wellness,” which is a

movement aimed to improve all employees’ health while increasing communication and
collaboration among labs. This two-step initiative consists of buying all employees adjustable
desks and partnering with ClassPass to provide the best workout classes. Adjustable desks will
give you the choice of whether you want to sit or stand, and one idea is to cluster them together
to bring labs closer to one another.

Partnering with ClassPass provides employees the opportunity to exercise in the middle of the
day, as well as get to know other members at the Fred Hutch. Forming closer bonds with each
other will allow for more effective communication and efficient research. These classes will be
30-45 minutes, and no cost for Fred Hutch employees. ClassPass enables users access to top
studio classes, live-streamed classes with the best trainers, or you can follow along with a
pre-recorded video.

If we fully participate in these two efforts, you will see benefits in your own work. Increasing
movement throughout the day not only benefits your health, but will increase motivation and
productivity. Being more efficient with your work may even lead to getting off earlier or more
downtime. Additionally, you will get to know your colleagues better and may produce grants or
research projects together.

If you have any further questions about Workplace Wellness please email me at ​mloeb@scu.edu
or call me on my mobile at (425)-623-8285.
Works Cited

“Business.” ​FlexiSpot,​ www.flexispot.com/business/zenreach/.

Kohll, Alan. “Why We Pay Our Employees To Exercise At Work.” ​Forbes​, Forbes Magazine, 9
Jan. 2019,
www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2019/01/09/why-we-pay-our-employees-to-exercise-at-
work/.

“Mission & Values.” ​Fred Hutch,​

www.fredhutch.org/en/about/about-the-hutch/mission-values.html.

“Sitting for Long Periods 'Is Bad for Your Health'.” ​BBC News,​ BBC, 15 Oct. 2012,
www.bbc.com/news/health-19910888.

“Thousands of Digital Workouts with One App.” ​ClassPass,​

classpass.com/pricing/united-states.

Zhou, Skyler. “4 Ways Standing Desks Improve Employee Productivity.” ​FlexiSpot,​ Flexispot,
27 Mar. 2019,
www.flexispot.com/spine-care-center/4-ways-standing-desks-improve-employee-product
ivity/.