Corporate Challenge: Steps and Initiatives

Building an Active Workforce

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More than 260 organisations and 65,000 working adults registered for the Corporate Challenge 2016 and battled it out to see which company would come out on top with the highest daily average step count. The Challenge was successful in raising awareness for organisations to take a greater interest in the well-being and physical health of their employees.

Besides taking part in the Corporate Challenge, many organisations also chose to host their own intra-company competitions and events to spur employees to clock more steps. On average, participants of Corporate Challenge 2016 clocked 1 km worth of steps more than the regular National Steps Challenge participant. The top three winning organisations achieved an incredible average of 15,000 steps per day for each participant, the equivalent of walking 12 km every day!

Workforce Size of Less than 200 Employees Category

Henkel Singapore Pte Ltd

For the category of workforce size of less than 200 employees, Henkel Singapore Pte Ltd snagged the 1st spot with a daily average step count of 23,894 steps.

The organisation's secret to winning was to encourage friendly competition amongst staff by hosting their version of the Challenge, which broke down the 15 weeks challenge period into three phases lasting a month each.

Tiered incentives were given in the form of vouchers; to staff that were able to hit the step count targets that progressively increased each month.

Unison Construction Pte Ltd

In preparation for the Corporate Challenge 2016, Unison Construction Pte Ltd organised a running club with the objective of getting employees ready. Dubbed the "Unison Fun Club", members received a running t-shirt to build camaraderie and participate in weekly runs organised by team leaders.

To further promote healthy living, team members bonded over fruit sessions held after the runs where they could discuss their step count targets and progress.

The club was a huge success, clocking in a daily average step count of 19,349 steps. Even after the Corporate Challenge has ended, the members continued to enroll themselves in other activities such as marathons to stay physically active.

Workforce Size of More than 200 Employees Category

Seagate Technology International

Taking home the top prize for the category of workforce size of more than 200 employees with a daily average step count of 21,070 steps, Seagate Technology International hosted an intra-Corporate Challenge and encouraged their management to adopt an active role in championing the cause.

For example, the leader of the "Cheetah" team led by example, changing her sedentary lifestyle and holding discussions with team members on how to clock more steps. If a team member fell ill, she would rally the rest of the team to make up the numbers by taking more steps.

Lastly, the company also leveraged on existing national events such as Car Free Sunday to encourage their staff to engage in activities that increased their step count.

National Healthcare Group

The National Healthcare Group finished the Corporate Challenge 2016 with a daily average step count of 13,845 steps. A supportive organisational culture was developed to encourage their employees to take more steps.

The organisation engaged their staff via weekly publicity materials containing personal stories and motivational quotes. These publicity materials were distributed to the staff through email and some were printed as posters to be put around the office.

Weekly leaderboards were also distributed to all staff and put up on the organisation’s noticeboards to spur friendly competition. One department even introduced a forfeit for the colleagues in the bottom half of the leaderboards to treat those who are in the top half to a meal. They also held an intra-Corporate Challenge with multiple award categories and prizes such as healthy snack boxes and shopping vouchers to further promote healthy living.

Working Together Towards Better Health

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Singaporeans spend a significant amount of time at their workplaces and with their colleagues. As such, it is only natural that the office is one of the best places to encourage people to increase their physical activity levels and build a support network of peers who share the same fitness goals.

The success stories of the Corporate Challenge 2016 shared above are great examples of how organisations can play a larger role in looking out for their employee well-being by creating an environment where employees are empowered to take an active role in improving their overall health. From management to executives, having employees of all levels embracing the Challenge together benefits workplace health, morale and bonding.

​ Read these next:

• Stepping Up to the Challenge
• No Time to Clock 10,000 Steps? No Problem!
• 520 Million Steps for the Nation — What's Next, Singapore?
• Power Hawker Diet to Match Your 10,000 Steps