2023.06.19 Interview

From training to conditioning. The number of users of Cocone’s in-house gym has increased rapidly.

※This article is machine translated.

Since its establishment, Cocone has been practicing a very natural way of working based on the concept of health management and wellbeing, which is now known as health management and wellbeing.

We believe that it is our natural responsibility as a company to improve the ” health ” our employees so that they are motivated to perform their daily duties.

To this end, Cocone’s offices are equipped with a variety of facilities that we pride ourselves on being second to none, even in large corporations.

From a place of training to a place of conditioning.

Despite the provision of full-scale training machines, the utilization rate of the Cocone Gym was sluggish at first.

As interview in SWITCH magazine (Vol. 41), we spoke with Mr.Kohiruimaki, team leader of the Wellness Team , who has succeeded in dramatically increasing gym usage, about his efforts and management stance.

Since the gym and massage room were renovated last June, the number of users has increased dramatically. Please tell us about your efforts and innovations.

The number of users surprised me because the results came in sooner than I expected.

The first thing I did was clarify the concept of the gym.

I think there are a certain number of people who are not good at sports or don’t like them, so if you call for muscle training because you will get results after exercising, you may not want to go to the gym.I don’t need to train, so I wanted to build a gym to keep my body in shape and not create a sense of fitness, so I did DM with trainers who are active on Instagram and experienced actual lessons to hire them.Since there are many female employees at Co-Connor, they are not pro-fitness, but have increased their options by increasing yoga and pilates lessons and changing trainers day by day.

We also introduced a reservation system. We used to manage reservations on a spreadsheet, but this caused hesitation because members of the company would see that we had made reservations. Now we don’t have to worry about that, and I think it has become easier to make reservations.

We also changed the background music and the color of the lighting so that the gym itself can be used more casually. The monitors installed in the room used to mainly show muscle training videos, but during the WBC we started showing live baseball games, and in the evenings we show K-pop music videos since there are many women using the gym.

What did you pay attention to when you were spreading the word about the gym to your employees?

Gyms are pretty closed, aren’t they? I think it takes courage to open the door and enter. So, in order to let people feel what they can do and how they have changed, I used the word “exercise” instead of “training,” and I tried to use softer words such as “muscle relaxation” to make it less nuanced, and to lower the hurdle by saying that it is an extension of massage and stretching. I tried to lower the hurdle by using the word “exercise” instead of “training,” and by using softer words such as “muscle relaxation” to make it less nuanced.

Many of them come to the gym either between work or after work, and either way they are tired, so we thought that a program that relieves fatigue rather than a grueling workout would be a better fit for Cocone, so we created such a program and sent out the message.

A gym for the tired. That’s an interesting word.

The trainers are basically outsourced, but before signing the contract, we prepared materials for them and asked them to come together with an understanding of what we wanted to do at Cocone’s gym. We knew that no matter how much we wanted to offer, it would be difficult to operate according to our concept without the accompanying skills, so we proceeded with thoroughness and caution.

In-house home delivery stretching service

The stretch program, named after a famous delivery service, was also a fun initiative. I hear that it resulted in people coming to the gym.

If you don’t come, you won’t understand what kind of people are in the gym, and you won’t know what they’re going to do.I thought there were some unclear points about the concept of a gym.So, I decided to go to the staff from here in the form that I could stretch at my own seat.I was able to experience this while also introducing a trainer.Also, since it would not be interesting if it didn’t stand out, I changed the logo of a real famous home delivery service bag and paraded around the company carrying it on my back.I think that’s why I got attention (lol).

From those efforts, more and more people are coming to the gym. I think it was a good opportunity for people to know that it is not just a gym for working out.

Recently, we introduced a machine Pilates machine called the Reformer. It has become so popular in the fitness industry that we have set up a studio that offers only machine Pilates. It has become such a popular program at Cocone that all the slots are filled within 30 minutes of making a reservation. We are also keeping up with the latest trends.

The number of users of massages has also grown tremendously, hasn’t it?

We have two massage rooms in the company, one is more therapeutic and the other is more relaxing. We have two massage rooms in the company, one is more therapeutic and the other has a high relaxation factor.

I see that you have a Slack page for all employees with daily updates on the availability of massages, exercise and other programs.

Normally, if you want to make a reservation, you need to take an active action, such as checking the schedule. On the other hand, if a notice of availability pops up in Slack, you can passively check the status. The URL of the application form is also attached to it, so you can make a reservation as soon as you think of it. I thought that some people might not like receiving daily notifications, but I thought it would be beneficial, so I asked the trainers to make the announcements.

When I hear that the event is full, I think, Everyone else is going, so I might as well go, too.

I think the more practitioners and trainers are communicating this kind of information, the more the atmosphere within the company has taken root that it’s okay to go there casually.

Bedrock bath, facial acupuncture, etc. also planned.

I understand that many employees with positions in the company also use the service.

First, we took the time to give each of the directors and department heads a personal lesson. Then, because of this physical change, I asked them to tell their team members, “It was good, you should go! I asked them to tell them. If the senior staff participates, it makes it easier for the employees below them to go,” he said.

Another good thing was that word of mouth spread the word about the gym. In an effort to increase word of mouth, we also ran a kind of invite-a-friend campaign, and the number of users increased there as well.

We are considering measures to increase the number of new members and to ensure continuity, and we are holding some kind of event every month. I believe that the gym is one of the attractions that we are able to provide for enjoyable exercise.

Well, I’m surprised myself, but I never thought I would come to Cocone and do something like running a gym store (laughs).We do things that most gyms do, but we arrange them to suit Cocone.”

There were opportunities to experience various things such as bedrock baths, protein tasting sessions, and facial acupuncture.

We have a lot of female employees, and the people who take part in beauty-related menus are a different target than those who take part in personal training. We have been focusing on measures to please the people who take personal training, but there is also a large denominator of people who have not yet participated. We have tried to find things that might interest those who have not yet participated, such as bedrock baths and footbaths, facial acupuncture, and esthetic clinics. I hope to offer something healthy to people who are not interested in the gym. That is always our two-pronged approach.”

We want to care for each and every one of you, all the way through your life.

What are some of the challenges you would like to take on in the future?

I would like to try something that can be done with the family, such as a program that can be attended with children to improve their sports ability, a program that specializes in postpartum care, or yoga with babies, since the body shape can change after giving birth. I would like to try something that I can do with my family.

It seems like it is no longer just about the gym.

I’m on the wellness team, but wellness isn’t really about fitness. Like wellbeing, which is what we stand for at the company, wellness is about doing something to help people live a more active life. So I wanted to provide a part of that as well. In this way, I think we will be working not only on fitness, but also on beauty, diet, and a wide range of other things.

More to the point, Cocone’s definition of wellbeing is that we should have a healthy mind and body at the same time, and that’s what we want to work toward.”

The work style change starts with an in-house gym, right?

We always want to provide care not only for the way we work, but also for the way we live, and even the life of each individual. That is what I want to aim for. If you just want to lose weight, you can go to any other gym. Since the gym is located within the company, just talking to the trainer about what is bothering you during training may help you feel better, and I think it can also serve as a mental care facility. You can clear your mind and body while exercising. I think the gym at Cocone is an environment where you can do that.

The gym is not only a place to get in shape, but also to take care of your mind. I am looking forward to seeing more and more developments in the future. Thank you very much!

The use of Cocone’s gyms has increased dramatically as a result of clarifying the concept of the gym as a place to “get in shape” and expanding the menu and other options to suit the preferences and characteristics of the employees.

In the more than ten years since our founding, we have developed a variety of facilities and systems to ensure the wellbeing of our employees and our growth as a company.

Cocone’s wellness and wellbeing environment is never complete and will continue to evolve, taking into account internal and external conditions.

Please see also this article.

*Cocone is working on various systems through trial and error, based on our founding desire to return time, rewards, satisfaction, and health to our employees. We are currently considering the introduction of a different system to the one described in this article.