Corporate wellness programs are no longer just a “fad,” they are here to stay. In order to keep wellness activities fresh, creativity and innovation is flourishing in this space. In 2017, the emphasis seems to be on a more holistic health approach. In particular, we are seeing a rise in employee flexibility, healthier work environments and improvements in technology.

Here’s our top five health trends:

  1. FLEX WORKING – the trust and autonomy that goes hand in hand with flexible working hours goes a long way to delivering better work-life balances. Flexibility seems to be key to our happiness and wellbeing, we are all unique and have different responsibilities and schedules outside of the workplace. From flexible leave arrangements to physical work environments – through hot desking and collaborative workspaces – many impacts can be measured including increases in productivity and decreased levels of stress.
  2. WELLNESS TOOLS – sleep pods, stand-up desks, treadmill desks and fitness apps are popular ways to physically improve wellbeing. Check out APPs like Keas, Workplace Challenge and Wellness Champion Hub that enable employees to record and track their exercise, nutrition and sleep against individual and team goals.
  3. DECLINE IN SIT-DOWN MEETINGS – The stand-up meeting has also evolved into the walking meeting. Not only are these both great ways to get people on their feet and away from their desks, they can be highly productive and a more efficient use of time. With tasks designated, decisions made and information shared whilst on the go, many organisations are finding these quick daily or weekly catch-ups fit well into busy schedules.
  4. GIVING BACK – Providing opportunities for staff to fundraise for their favourite charities through organised events meets CSR objectives for organisations whilst creating feel-good outcomes for particpants and beneficiaries alike. Some larger organisations take this to the next level and offer gift matching programs, ensuring staff realise the impact and value of their efforts. Consider also the food-drives, community working bees and used clothing/goods collections that many organisations run annually that make staff feel more connected to worthy causes.
  5. HEALTHY SNACKS – As many companies do away with the traditional vending machines filled with sugar and salt based food groups, encouraging healthier eating choices as part of an overall wellness approach for staff is definitely on the increase. Fruit bowls, nuts, herbal teas and filtered water are fairly commonplace in most workplaces. For those who still love the idea of the vending machine convenience, try Apple Vending or All Real Food for some great options using fresh foods including gluten free.

 

If you are looking for more ways to get your staff active and health aware at work, and would like to find out about Tour de Office 2017, we are delivering more flexible, custom event options designed to suit your organisation’s size, culture and budget. Get in touch via info@tourdeoffice.com

We have been running Tour de Office events in companies of all sizes, across many states since way back in 2011. During this time we have raised over half a million dollars for Australian charities and had a lot of fun along the way!

We have been truly inspired by the effort and the imagination of teams of employees who embrace this cycling challenge event and make it their own. We see it fit different office cultures – from vehicle dealerships to newsrooms, real estate agencies, banks and multi-national financial firms. We take our hats off to all of them who cycled past their limits and raised more money than they thought they could and cheered for everyone from the CEO to the receptionist as they sweated through their leg of the relay.

Here’s how they experienced it, in their own words.

“Coronis is fundamentally a healthy, active workplace which is why Tour De Office is such a perfect fit for our culture. We love taking everything we do to the next level which is why we host the event out the front of our headquarters, dress up, promote it on social media and run competitions. It all benefits our chosen charity in the end so we like to have some fun with it!”  Coronis, Qld 

“Tour de Office was a great platform for our corporate partners to support Youngcare and engage their staff and clients.The combined fundraising efforts from our supporters this year was almost $30,000, which is equivalent to five At Home Care Grants, to enable five young Aussies with high care needs at risk of entering aged care, to stay at home with their loved ones.”  Charity Partner, Youngcare

“I would definitely recommend Tour de Office to other TAFEs, universities and any organisation with large departments. Participating in this event helped to break down departmental barriers and enabled staff from around campus to engage with one another in a fun way. It brought staff together across the Institute and created a really positive atmosphere.”  Wodonga Tafe, Vic

“Both our Sydney and Melbourne offices take part and next year we hope to introduce Tour de office to our Brisbane office too. We moved the bike from floor to floor each day…  and the office was buzzing during the week. The event is a fantastic way to fundraise for a worthy cause alongside one of our major clients, Commonwealth Bank.”  Top individual fundraiser, KordaMentha

Tour de office riders have raised significant funds by appealing to colleagues, friends and families for support; a fundraising method known as Peer2Peer. 

Peer2Peer fundraising has captured the world of community-minded individuals with a desire to support a cause close to their hearts. Driven by their personal goals, people become vehicles for the promotion of causes they care about, within their own social networks. 

So how do our riders drive their fundraising? Here’s some great tips to inspire you… 

  • Get creative! Put out a challenge to supporters that if a fundraising target is met, the rider will wear a costume or recite poetry whilst completing a 30 minute ride. 
  • Kick off donations to your page with a donation to yourself to show your commitment to the cause, people will often match your donation so be generous and you’ll achieve your goal in no time!
  • Link in to the cause! With so many worthy charities in the Australian market, its important to communicate why a rider has chosen to support a cause and what it means to them personally. What could $250 do for your selected charity? Jump on social media and tell your friends!

What was the inspiration behind Tour de Office?

Tour de Office was the brainchild of Tudor Marsden-Huggins, MD of Employment Office – recruitment marketing organisation. Initially, Tudor simply wanted to create a team building and corporate social responsibility activity for his staff. I was thrilled to be tasked with getting the event off the ground and very quickly realised that there was a lot of interest in corporate wellness in other workplaces. We were definitely seeing a shift away from the traditional office environment where workers sit behind a desk for 8+ hours per day with a 30 minute break for lunch. As I learned, the health risks associated with this type of working day are really scary. It was apparent that there was a need for Tour de Office style events within businesses and it meant the event expanded rapidly in those first few years. Suddenly, we were using our learnings to educate employers and their employees about the importance of movement during the working day and how achievable it is. The benefits were tangible, by encouraging staff to engage in more activity there were less sick days, higher productivity, better engagement and retention.

Why cycling?

Tudor is a very keen cyclist and it was his first preference for a fitness style event. It made a lot of sense as it is something anyone can participate in despite age or fitness levels. Cycling is definitely on trend, with more corporates entering cycling challenges than Golf tournaments. It had to be something that people could challenge themselves with so they could have fun and success with the fundraising side of the event also. But above all, it had to be fun.

What made you take the event indoors on stationary bikes?

We wanted to bring the event to the people. Have you ever been to a marathon or cycling event? Typically the experience involves getting up at 4am, driving, struggling to find a park and hiking to the start line. And all of this happens on a weekend where most people have other commitments. We wanted to remove any and all excuses and ensure everyone can have a go – we’ve even had a paraplegic cycle in the last few events using a hand cycle.

How has the event changed since it first launched in 2011?

We went from just the one organisation in 2011 and were joined by two more in 2012 – now we have over 20 organisations raising over $200K per year. The technology has come a long way too, we track everyone’s kms during their ride and stream it live to the event site so online audiences can see exactly what’s happening in real time. It means riders can be watched and supported by friends and family all over the world.

What sort of trends are we seeing in healthy workplaces today that weren’t common 5 years ago?

The focus definitely seems to be on breaking up the day and getting people away from sitting at a desk. We’ve seen stand-up desks become increasingly popular in offices all over Australia, with some companies even offering treadmill desks. Onsite gyms started popping up about a decade ago and were seen as a nice perk but with a renewed focus on corporate wellness, they are being better utilised today – we see these spaces used to host a range of activities from bootcamp challenges to yoga. More and more organisations are also offering healthy food choices, gone are the vending machines filled with chips and soft drink. It is common to see company teams entering a range of events from triathlons to obstacle challenges – the team bonding along with the training involved is great for health and engagement. Many companies now offer more flexible work options – hot desking and working from home can provide better work-life balance and by not commuting, staff can often fit more in their day, allowing them to exercise when and where it suits them.

How do you recommend participating organisations encourage staff participation?

They can really adapt the event to suit their company culture. If they want to go for themed days and offer prizes, or set up interdepartmental challenges, senior manager ride-offs, it’s all up to them. The event is very flexible and allows for different dates, timeslots, multiple bikes and individual or team performances. Typically each organisation nominates an event champion who recruits riders and is our contact onsite. We work with them and provide everything from email templates to fundraising coaching and marketing material. We recommend they introduce staff to the charity they are supporting via a Breakfast or similar event so they are aware of where the money raised will go.

Why add a fundraising component?

As we developed the event app from scratch, we were able to build into our technology the opportunity for Corporates to donate to a charity of their choice on a peer to peer basis. We liked the extra flexibility and incentive this offered participants and it allowed companies to meet philanthropy objectives at the same time.

Are you aligned with a particular charity or cause area being a health-related event?

It is really important to us to remain neutral. There are so many worthy and important causes out there and many corporates already have existing relationships with a charity they choose to support on a regular basis. We obviously want to encourage participation rather than creating obstacles for organisations to get involved. It’s a greater incentive for riders to have a go if you get to ride for a charity that you love and we know many of our corporates will let staff vote on the cause to support.

What goals are you hoping to achieve with Tour de Office in the future?

We have raised more than half a million dollars to date for a range of Australian charities and seen thousands of employees get out of their chairs and onto a bike. Each year we raise our targets and we are now hoping to crack the $Million raised. It would mean more effort, more riders, more people understanding the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and more money raised for very worthy causes. We can’t say when, but we are confident we are not too far away from achieving that milestone and that will be amazing!

 

Corporate wellness programs are designed to support employees in understanding health risks and choosing healthy behaviour at work to improve their overall fitness and reduce their health care expenditure. These programs can reduce the cost of hospitalisation, emergency room visits, specialist visits, and surgeries. Moreover, corporate wellness programs result in decrease in absenteeism, increase in productivity, and improvement in quality of life of employees.

The corporate wellness market in Asia Pacific is predominantly driven by the increasing prevalence of obesity, the growing number of smokers, and the rising awareness levels among employers about corporate wellness.

However, there are obstacles for employers including high cost and inefficient execution of corporate wellness services. At Tour de Office we are constantly improving our product to ensure a great user experience and easy execution. We have increased our level of support and flexibility moving into 2017 and hope to attract many new participants and achieve our goal of raising $1 million for Australian charities.