A cycling class is one of the fitness options available at the YMCA to employees who choose to take advantage of fitness club memberships through their employers.

A healthier workforce is a more productive workforce, according to some local companies that are investing in their employees’ fitness.

Minot Automotive Center and Hess Corp. are among companies that are giving employees incentives to get and stay fit.

About eight years ago, Minot Automotive Center began offering a fitness reimbursement program. Any of the approximately 140 employees who participates at a local fitness center and brings in confirmation of having attended and exercised at least 12 times during the month is reimbursed with a $30 bonus on the next paycheck.

Many employees who participate get hooked on the program and like it, said Kara Vetter, controller at Minot Automotive Center.

“We’d like to see even more of them, but as far as the physical benefits, that’s pretty obvious. You have healthier people. That’s just good for everybody. It’s good for your health care costs and then also just the mental benefits of having people just be happier and in better moods as they get some exercise,” she said.

She estimated about 10% of employees participate, although it can vary seasonally.

Employees can select the gym they wish to join.

“We want to be as flexible as possible to get more people using it,” Vetter said.

Minot Automotive instituted the program when its insurer started moving away from health incentive offerings because it was apparent employees liked and took advantage of the incentives. For some, it can be a key motivator to exercise.

“If it’s going to keep them going, we didn’t want to lose it,” Vetter said.

Hess uses a number of tools to encourage healthy habits among its employees.

“The safety, health and well-being of our employees is something Hess takes very seriously. It doesn’t matter if the employee is sitting behind a desk in Houston, working on a pump jack in the Bakken oil fields, or driving a truck to bring Bakken oil to market, we want all of our employees to be the best, healthy versions of themselves,” the company stated.

Hess sponsors memberships to wellness centers, but it states one of the most successful ways it has introduced wellness to staff is through the use of technology and an app called Pulse (by Virgin).

Through gentle reminders and notifications, Hess employees can track their good habits on the go, such as taking the stairs or achieving set number of steps in a day. Employees who use the app can check their daily progress at a glance and even can set important reminders like making doctors appointments or eye exams, according to the company.

“Hess strives to use state-of-the-art technology when it comes to producing and moving oil. But the same can also be said when it comes to motivating our employees to get moving,” said Hess General Manager Brent Lohnes in a prepared statement. “By encouraging healthy lifestyles through the use of the Pulse app, our employees create a fun culture and are more productive.”

Once habits or daily goals have been reached, app users receive points that can be shared among colleagues to see who leads in achieving their goals. The friendly competition creates engagement among employees from Minot to Houston and around the world to locations where Hess operates.

Hess sees the app helping employees to adopt healthier lifestyles, which leads to more energy, focus and drive while at work.

Walmart, another company with a presence in Minot, recently began offering employees nationwide discounted basic memberships in the gyms of their choice this year. The incentives lower employee out-of-pocket costs for membership to as low as $9 a paycheck (typically $18 a month). The Walton Life Fitness Pass offers access to as many as 9,000 facilities in the country.

The pass is available to any employee at least 18 years old and includes a spouse or domestic partner. Dependents ages 18 to 25 also can participate. The program is open to full- and part-time employees, according to a release from the company.