Get out of your chair and be more active! That’s the core concept behind the BeActive Fitness Challenge that OneRoof Energy launched this spring. Although it started as a simple effort by one employee to make new friends at work, it quickly grew to a company-wide initiative that included 100 employees split into 20 teams. It is now one of the most talked about employee-led programs at the company and something that is inspiring others at OneRoof to organize their own programs and engage their team members outside the workplace. Many companies talk about making the world a better place, and that’s a goal for OneRoof Energy as well, but we believe action is better than words.
Lisa Saw an Opportunity and OneRoof Encouraged Her Vision
Last year, as a relatively new employee, Lisa Sundeen wanted to meet other employees and have someone to go surfing or hiking with after work. She initially brought her idea to the company and asked if OneRoof had ever done something like this. OneRoof is enthusiastic to support employee-lead initiatives and asked Lisa to take the lead supporting her efforts by providing funding for prizes, pedometers, and opportunities to promote the BeActive Challenge. By tapping into the young and vibrant spirit found among OneRoof Energy employees, Lisa quickly expanded the initiative from a basic calendar of activities that people could sign-up for and turned it into a company-wide fitness challenge complete with prizes for the winning teams.
Learning New Skills and Applying Existing Skills in New Ways
As a Research and Data Analyst for the Public Policy and New Markets department, Lisa’s daily work couldn’t be more different from organizing a corporate fitness challenge. While her job normally consists of sorting through research papers and analyzing corporate data, this role allowed her to hone her skills managing a campaign and public speaking. Organizing the BeActive Challenge included managing budgets and schedules as well as the opportunity to promote it throughout the company in order to spur participation. Lisa admits that she was initially unsure of how the initiative would turn out. Within a few days, however, she began to notice a new level of excitement and friendly competition around the office and knew this was going to be a success.
Additionally, she was able to apply her existing skills to help create conversion charts and analyze data from the challenge. While similar corporate fitness challenges measure only steps from a pedometer, she customized a conversion chart that included other activities ranging from surfing to badminton and even gardening. This allowed for the broadest possible involvement for employees - not just those who would normally be physically active!
Healthy Employees are Good for Business!
While the focus of the BeActive Challenge was to get employees to be more active while having fun, the benefits to the company can be significant. A Leeds Metropolitan University study in the UK, found that six out of 10 workers say their time management skills, mental performance, and ability to meet deadlines improved on days when they exercised. Even spending a few minutes exercising during a lunch break can have a big impact on performance.
Yoga was one of many activies that ORE employees did during the day to earn points.
The American Heart Association sets the target of 10,000 steps per day to be a fitness goal (the American average is only half of that). Lisa was thrilled that more than half the teams hit that target and that 85% of teams showed consistent improvement over the course of challenge. Those results say a lot about both the design of the program and the enthusiasm that’s found at all levels of OneRoof Energy.
While most fitness activity took place outside of work, some people like Lisa and her manager opted to have some meetings outside while walking. This allowed them to not only earn extra steps but also enjoy fresh air and exercise leading to healthier living and more productivity at work.
Everyone Is a Winner (But Some Get Gift Cards!)
In an activity like this, everyone who participated was a winner, but two teams also won prizes. “The Ladybug Walkers” won first place, with an average of 151,528 steps per week. That means each team member walked—or engaged in some comparable activity—an average of 75 miles per week! The Most Improved Award went to “Move Your Assets” because each week the team walked about 15 miles more than the previous week.
Even individually, many people who participated saw general wellness benefits and physique improvements. One coworker told Lisa, “I can’t stop looking at my face!” since she was so excited to have lost some weight. Another colleague started a hiking group that explores a new San Diego trail every two weeks. Although everyone involved was sad to see the Fitness Challenge end, many people have continued to enjoy an increased level of activity with new friends that they met during the process.
What’s the Future?
Given the popularity and success of the BeActive Challenge, planning has already started for the next iteration. At the end of the Challenge Lisa circulated a feedback survey and is working with the Human Resources team to incorporate new ideas into next year’s health initiative. For next time, OneRoof is considering several, shorter challenges; forming new teams so employees meet colleagues in different departments; and organizing more fun events both at work and outside the workplace. Although the challenge engaged more than half of the employees in OneRoof’s San Diego office, the company is excited to expand the BeActive Challenge and include even more staff next time.
