Do you have what it takes to be a Workplace Challenge Champion?

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What is Workplace Challenge?

Workplace Challenge is a partnership programme with the British Heart Foundation offering a series of training sessions across the UK that delivers a hands on approach to improving health and wellbeing within a workforce.

It encourages a person, or two, within an organisation to adopt the role of workplace challenge champion, and with a full day training session provides them with the “skills, confidence and resources to promote better health and increase participation in sport and physical activity“[1].

Why is promoting health and wellbeing at work important?

Having a healthy workplace environment is both good for mental and physical wellbeing.

The average person spends around 60% of their waking hours at work.

It’s estimated that the annual economic costs to businesses of sickness absence is over £100 billion, with around 23 million working days in the UK lost due to work-related ill health [2].

The benefits of having a healthy and active workplace can lead to improved morale, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and presenteeism, and increased staff retention.

What does it mean to be a Workplace Champion?

Being a workplace champion might be part of your job permit, or you might simply be keen to promote wellness amongst your colleagues.  The idea is that you are there to support your colleagues in an active lifestyle, organise activities, and be a point of contact if they’re looking for advice on how to increase their activity.

What to expect from Workplace Challenge training:

Workplace Challenge is an interactive workshop, so you are encouraged to come dressed for casual movement.  Throughout the day you are introduced to a number of resources available to businesses specifically designed to promote activity in the workforce, which can be recorded through the Workplace Challenge website.  Sports and activities ranging from tennis to volleyball, from table tennis to running.

The course also provides advice on how to introduce the Workplace Challenge into an organisation, and how to gain support and commitment from both employees and employers.  Information is provided on how to write and submit a business case to senior staff in order to introduce the programme, as well as highlighting case studies of programmes that have already proved successful.

The day is also a great way to meet others who are promoting health and activity in the workplace, and share experiences and ideas of what has worked well so far for yourselves and others.

The cost of the full-day workshop is £50, which includes a Health at Work pack, and lunch & refreshments.


Workplace Challenge Website: http://www.workplacechallenge.org.uk

The website offers news on upcoming events in and around local areas, as well as contact details of local sport organisations and trusts.

There is a great online free activity log, where you can track all your activities and compete in self-set challenges or challenges with colleagues and friends.  And there are prizes and incentives for completing challenges.  As well as some fun little quirks, including a count of how much C02 you’ve saved in being more active.

Workplace Challenge also has an app to go along with the online Activity log, which means you can track your activities on the go.


[1] http://www.workplacechallenge.org.uk/training

[2] http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm