How can you get employees to move more when sitting is common? 🪑

Start an interactive competition or collaboration 🤝

Have you noticed that many people enjoy a little friendly competition? Imagine using this to increase the vitality of your employees. A competition can be individual, in pairs, or even department against department. For example, consider a team competition where the department with the most steps in a month wins a prize. Or organise a joint walking challenge, such as covering the miles to Santa together.

A low-threshold and achievable challenge could be to walk 15 minutes every day for a month. For example, you could start with a simple stepping competition where employees can track their progress. This can not only improve physical health, but also strengthen team spirit. In this way, a vitality initiative becomes a fun and motivating way to incorporate more exercise into the daily routine.

Another fun and effective way to integrate competition is by organising a company sports day. You can offer different sports and games where teams compete against each other. This not only provides exercise, but also a lot of fun and team building. For example, organise a relay race or a football tournament where departments compete against each other. Planning a monthly sports day can become a regular tradition that gets employees excited every time to participate and increase their vitality.

Use anchor points to move 📍

Have you ever experienced that a good intention is forgotten again after a few days? This is not at all strange; new habits need to get into our system first. An effective way to do this is to use anchor points. By linking exercise moments to set moments in the day, these activities can become automatic.

For example, consider starting the day with a standing kick-off. Have your employees stand in a circle during the day start or organise a small morning exercise on Mondays. This can be a fun and energetic start to the day. Another option is to have walking meetings. Especially for personal topics, this can create a relaxed atmosphere. You can also encourage employees to make phone calls while standing by setting up a quiet room without chairs. This way, movement becomes a natural part of their working day.

Another way to use anchor points is to make lunch breaks active. Encourage employees to take a short walk after lunch. This can easily be integrated by organising a group walk every day after lunch, for example. Another idea is to schedule a short stretch session every afternoon, inviting employees to do some simple stretching exercises together. By repeating this daily, it becomes a regular part of their routine and helps increase vitality throughout the day.

Key insights 💡

It is clear that employees' vitality can be improved by getting them to sit less and move more. Friendly competition can boost inner motivation in this regard. Moreover, creating routines by using fixed moments as anchor points can help make exercise a regular part of the working day. As an HR manager, you play a crucial role in initiating and supporting these vitality initiatives, allowing you to have a positive impact on both the health and well-being of your employees.

Another key insight is to use technology to encourage exercise. Consider implementing an app or platform that allows employees to track their daily activity and encourage each other. By sending regular notifications to get up and move for a while, or by creating virtual challenges where employees can compete against each other, you use technology to support vitality initiatives. This can provide additional motivation and awareness, making employees more engaged in their own health and well-being.

As an HR manager, you have the power to make a positive change in the well-being and vitality of your employees. By launching interactive competitions, creating anchor points for exercise moments, and using technology smartly, you can make exercise a natural part of the working day. These vitality initiatives not only contribute to a healthier lifestyle, but also promote team spirit and productivity within your organisation.