Walking the Talk - Sports medicine company proves healthy workplaces aren’t just for big business

KineMedics

Ottawa, Ontario & Calgary, Alberta

When sports medicine is your business, practicing what you preach is key to being credible to both staff and clients alike.

That’s why KineMedics co-founders Mark Simonson and Steve MacNeil implemented flex time as an official corporate policy.  Since the company’s clients are primarily healthy, active people looking for rehabilitation products to help them get back in the game, KineMedics tends to hire former sports competitors with an allied health science background.

Matching Flex Time to Employee Needs

Realizing that encouraging staff to continue their passion for physical activity also supported the KineMedics philosophy, flex time became an important recruitment and retention tool that allowed staff to incorporate regular physical activity into their workday.

“We ask our staff to put in a certain amount of hours per week and give them the options to arrange their schedule to suit their needs,” explains Simonson.  “If a staff member prefers taking a mid-morning run for example, then they can use that as an early lunch hour.”

Nurturing a Positive Work Environment

Even though KineMedics has only about 15 employees spread out between a head office and several satellite locations, management tries to create a healthy work environment through a number of measures, such as ensuring at least two staff members are scheduled for each shift for the camaraderie. 

“Fostering a positive work environment boosts productivity, and people work better as part of a group than when they are alone, even to reduce stress or bounce ideas off each other,” says Simonson.

Creating a Customized Benefits Plan

When the company was first launched, it quickly became apparent to Simonson and MacNeil that it was not cost-effective for such a small workforce to become involved in a formal medical benefits plan.

“We ran all the numbers and discovered that setting up our own benefits plan where the company pays out-of-pocket for things that would benefit our staff’s health and wellness was still cheaper than going with one of the big-box insurance route,” says Simonson.

The result is a plan that is more tailored to the unique needs of an active staff like KineMedics’.  Each person has a set dollar amount they can use per year to help defray the costs of medical-related expenses such as physiotherapy, prescriptions or sports massage.

The company also has a separate Recreation Allowance for each employee of up to $300 a year to reimburse them for gym membership dues or other fitness and recreation costs like league registration fees.

Encouraging Professional Development

To help ensure its employees are always at the forefront of the latest health knowledge, KineMedics even has a fund to offset the costs of professional development courses, association dues, or certifications. 

“Since we focus on sports injury management, it’s in the best interest of us and our clients to keep our staff abreast of advances in the medical field,” notes Simonson. 

“For instance, we have kinesiologists and athletic therapists who have to keep their professional designations current, so it’s a win-win situation: they appreciate having a supportive employer and we benefit by having exceptionally qualified people on staff, which in turn draws discerning customers.”

Promoting Active Corporate Stewardship

Giving back to the community is also important to KineMedics.  Staff are encouraged to use their athletic prowess for a good cause and participate as a team in charity events like the annual Physiotherapy Run each April and the popular H.O.P.E. Beach Volleyball tournament in the summer.

“Even though we’re not all 25 anymore, we know better than anyone the importance of regular physical activity and really enjoy events where we can pair being active with good corporate citizenship,” says Simonson.

In addition to taking part in a variety of charity golf tournaments, KineMedics selects a specific charity to support each year and puts a team together for any fundraising events that charity might host. 

Example of past activities include Bowl-a-Thons for the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization, plus support of the Air Canada ‘Dreams Take Flight’ project to help fly ill, underprivileged children to Disney World.

Since KineMedics is the official medical supplier to the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, they are also big supporters of Roger’s House, a hospice for terminally ill children created by the Ottawa Senators Foundation in honour of former assistant coach Roger Nielson.

The KineMedics team aims to participate in two major fundraising events annually: the Walk, Roll & Run for Roger’s House and the Roger’s House Telethon for which they donated a portion of their sales over a designated week.

A Formula for Long-Term Success

Ultimately, by nurturing a positive work environment that celebrates staff’s passion for healthy living and fostering a generous community spirit through activity-based team fundraising has resulted in a winning combination for KineMedics.

Helping staff keep at the top of their game increases the chances that clients will also be able to return to more active pursuits, improving the mental and physical well-being of everyone involved with this successful small business.

For More Information

For more information, please contact Mark Simonson, Co-Founder, KineMedics at (613) 761-9764, email mark@kinemedics.com or visit www.kinemedics.com.