People Management finds out how high-intensity exercise classes are making Heathrow Airport’s staff fitter – and better at working together
“So why do (pant)... you keep (urgh)... coming back to class (argh)?”
I’m standing in a sweltering Heathrow Airport car park attempting to interview a petite, friendly woman as she punches me at a range that I can only describe as dangerously close to my face, desperately reconsidering my life choice to be a journalist. This is HR, after all – surely I didn’t sign up for this?
But sadly, yes, I did sign up for this, and here I am at a British Military Fitness (BMF) class that’s just one of the optional wellbeing-focused activities laid on for the 6,500 staff at Heathrow Airport. But why are the other 30-odd people here? Nicole, who works in the VIP terminal (and is landing some tough blows to boxing pads), tells me: “I came because my boss and I dared each other. Now we keep coming back.”
For the uninitiated, a BMF class involves one hour of full-on outdoor exercise (you’ll mostly find classes in public parks rather than corporate car parks), covering everything from cardio to abs and resistance-based strength work. Gareth and Lisa, who’ve been running the airport’s class since it was introduced just over a year ago, tend to stick to a high-intensity interval training style that encompasses sprints, boxing, mat work and tyre flipping.
Each week, rain or shine, between 20 and 40 regulars come together to get fitter, or just exorcise the day’s stresses or strains. Participants are streamed by coloured bibs: blue for the unfittest (that’s me), red for the intermediates and green for the experts. Everyone is assessed periodically and advised on whether they should think about moving up an intensity level.
Louise, who works in the property division, has been coming to the class on and off for a while – even though she’s also a member of a gym nearby. “I like having this right on my doorstep,” she says. “And there’s the camaraderie of doing a class together – it gives me more motivation.” Another BMFer, Sam, agrees: “It gets you over that mental barrier of leaving the office and then hitting the gym.”
“People tell us that it gets them talking to colleagues from across departments: it creates an environment that’s more conducive to teamwork,” adds Jane Smith, head of performance and engagement for the airport. BMF classes are just one of the organisation’s wellbeing initiatives, which also include salsa and ballroom dancing lessons (Smith is a regularly attendee on Wednesdays), and support for more extreme, community-based activities such as Tough Mudder races, marathons and abseiling down the T5 terminal.
“They’re all part of our ‘mojo’ KPI,” says Smith, “which helps us focus on what makes this a great place to work. It’s about making our colleagues feel as if we are actively looking after their wellbeing, and doing things to look after their physical and mental health, and their eating habits, too.”
BMF was introduced following an employee suggestion and trial session. “They love it,” says Smith. “It’s challenging – it challenges their thought processes and their motivation – and it’s fun. It’s really helping our collaboration, too – that’s an additional benefit that maybe we didn’t see initially, but that we are absolutely getting now.”
It’s easy to see how the BMF instructors build this team ethos; as the only new person in the class, I’m introduced to everyone, and they’re challenged to find out something about me during the next 60 minutes. Those who fail – about half of them – are given a few extra burpees to do at the end of the class. While I do find it a bit embarrassing to be singled out, it’s fantastic – as a total outsider – to be made to feel so welcome.
So, how am I feeling at the end of class? Red-faced, out of puff and worn out are just a few things that spring to mind. Also, vastly relieved that I didn’t make a fool of myself, and that I made it to the end. The next day I can hardly walk, of course. But if I had this free resource, waiting for me right there in the car park, I would definitely be hobbling back for more.