HEALTH & SAFETY
A LITTLE HEALTHY COMPETITION IN THE WORKPLACE
National health programme, Workplace Challenge, is embracing the ‘new year, new you’ spirit by launching ‘My Team 2015’ eight-week challenge, combining modern internet and smartphone technology with good old-fashioned workplace camaraderie to help exercisers resist the urge to quit their healthy resolutions in 2015.
As workers across the country returned to work after the festive break, Workplace Challenge’s electronic leader boards went live to mark the start of eight weeks of activity-fuelled competition between colleagues and workplaces, as workforces come together to battle it out for the top slot on the new ‘My Team 2015’ leaderboard (to be announced on 2nd March 2015).
The Department of Health has set out its ambition to use digital technology and innovation to revolutionise how individuals manage their own health and wellbeing. ‘My Team 2015’ embraces this vision by using technology to not only track individual physical activity and measure progress against personal health goals, but also to create a vital social support network for users that will boost motivation and keep workers exercising well beyond the resolution lull.
Participants are encouraged to use Workplace Challenge’s online activity logger to record physical activity alongside friends, colleagues and other workplaces. This activity is then translated into a score, allowing participants to not only track their personal progress over time but also to compare themselves to others.
Embracing this more social aspect of exercise is an integral part of the ethos of ‘My Team 2015’. Exercising alone, in isolation, can be uninspiring. Peer support and the opportunity for social interaction
56 | TOMORROW’S FM
and competition can massively boost even the most reluctant exerciser’s inclination to participate.
But regularly fitting in attendance at formal clubs around work commitments can be challenging. Workplace Challenge’s internet and smartphone-based platforms allow colleagues to embrace the benefits of camaraderie by allowing them to virtually share goals and achievements and congratulate each other on successes and nominate colleagues (and rivals) to join them, by using new social functionalities such as 'refer a friend'. In addition, participants are encouraged to throw themselves into the social spirit of the challenge by sharing their team goals (and nominations) on Twitter and Facebook using #MyTeam2015.
However, the ambitions go far beyond simply supporting New Year’s resolutions; it’s about raising awareness of the perils of our sedentary work lifestyles and introducing lasting healthy habits into the working week. This is where the experienced, hands-on local support provided by the County Sports Partnerships, funding from Sport England and the professional advice of supporters at BHF Health at Work offer the 2015 campaign a really compelling edge.
Lee Mason from the County Sports Partnership Network (CSP Network) said:
“11,700 individuals from over 2,200 workplaces across the country took part in the eight-week National Workplace Challenge launched in January 2014, recording an astounding 280,000 activities on Workplace Challenge’s online tracker. The ambition is to inspire even more workers to get active by motivating participants to encourage their colleagues.
Workplace Challenge’s online facilities, supported by the expertise, local links and knowledge of our teams on the ground at the County Sport Partnerships are designed to give workplaces the support, ideas and incentives they need to successfully implement their health initiatives and reap the financial and productivity driven benefits of a more active workforce.”
Mike Diaper, Director of Community Sport at Sport England said: “Lots of people want to get healthier and start new fitness regimes, but very often, the pressures of work and personal life can create a barrier to keeping those ambitions alive.
"That's why finding a way of keeping that activity going, whether it's by exercising with friends or competition with workmates, is key to creating a sporting habit that will last.
"Workplace Challenge makes sport and exercise accessible to everyone, whatever their age, fitness level or lifestyle preference.”
www.workplacechallenge.org.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74