Employees at businesses around the world are running, swimming and cycling their way to better health and productivity, thanks to a corporate sports initiative.
Employees at businesses around the world are running, swimming and cycling their way to better health and productivity, thanks to a corporate sports initiative.
Corporate health programs are on the agenda for a growing number of businesses in Western Australia as research data indicate significant flow-on effects for the bottom line.
Among those coming up with the numbers to support claims of productivity improvements from workplace health programs is Glenn Riseley, founder and president of the Global Corporate Challenge.
The GCC leads teams of seven from companies across the world on a virtual journey around the globe based on each team’s daily activity level.
This could be number of steps they take each day, with each participant wearing a simple device to track their daily activity. Cycling and swimming distances are also recorded, with totals inputted daily via the GCC website or mobile phone apps.
As each team progresses around the world they receive certificates, trophies, personalised motivational information and interesting facts, such as the culture and history of the various locations they have “stepped into”.
The GCC, now in its 10th year, has 3,400 organisations taking part across 158 countries.
Mr Riseley says it was a conversation after the Sydney Olympics with his business partner, John Hillier, and prominent Western Australian Herb Elliot that sparked the beginning of the GCC.
“I remember him (Elliot) saying it was interesting that our athletes performed so well and as a nation, traditionally we see ourselves as very active, punching so far above our weight on the world sporting stage,” Mr Riseley says.
“Yet despite all of the gold medals it simply wasn’t being reflected across the wider population. He said unless Australians started to be a little more like our athletes and get out there and be active, there was no way Australia could field a globally competitive workforce even just one generation from now.”
The GCC clearly made good business sense and was quickly embraced by the corporate sector.
“If you’re in business, you look at people entirely differently. You see them as literally a human resource … as this body of people that can create, that can produce and that needs to be sustained, nurtured and developed,” Mr Riseley says.
The GCC provides managers with data to validate claims participation in the challenge will not only lead to a healthier workforce but also a healthier business.
One Australian study reported participation in the GCC reduced absenteeism by 41 per cent.
Mr Riseley says other studies showed 71 per cent of people described better energy levels and 56 per cent of participants reported they were achieving 90 per cent of their productive capacity.
The GCC combines competition, teamwork, fun and modern technology with health and fitness. Mr Riseley says it’s a program that works across all industries.
“I know I can go into any business on the planet, look them in the eyes and promise this will work for their employees,” he says.
“Who would have thought that getting employees to be physically active and to take care of their health would connect them to the business, but that’s precisely what happens.”
Businesses in WA such as the RAC, Navitas, Alcoa, Bankwest and Goldfields Australia are all reporting positive results from the GCC.
The RAC’s executive general manager people & shared service, Erica Haddon, confirms team corporate challenges like the GCC provide benefits that go beyond improved staff health and fitness.
“We know that if we have healthy and fit employees it makes good sense for business,” Ms Haddon says.
“You’ve got less sick days and you’ve got higher productivity. But more importantly people feel better; they’re happier and therefore more engaged. If people are engaged they are more likely to want to strive to do better for your organisation.
“They’re excited, they understand the reasons they are there and therefore they are going to deliver better results.”
The RAC is in the midst of its third GCC, with almost 400 staff members taking part. The organisation is so convinced of the benefits of team fitness challenges it created its own internal bike-a-thon, where teams cycled in 10 or 20 minute timeslots throughout the day.
Ms Haddon says incorporating a team approach is more effective than health initiatives that focus on the individual.
“The team part of it gives people confidence to be a little bit competitive. It also helps spur one another on,” she says.
Navitas group public and investor relations manager, James Fuller, agrees team building and friendly competition are a productive combination for a company. With almost 500 staff taking part in the GCC in offices located across the world, he says it’s an excellent way for employees to connect.
“It’s very hard sometimes to connect with people from Canada, the US or the UK. We talk and email them often but it’s hard to have something in common. So we’re trying to find ways to engage more frequently and regularly,” Mr Fuller says.
Navitas is also completing its third GCC and Mr Fuller describes the results as impressive, saying 71 per cent of participants reported a decrease in stress at work or home and a significant increase in their quality of sleep.
“Most people can understand the link between being happier, better rested and less stressed, and being able to work better,” he says.