Unforgettable Travel Company has held its annual ‘Healthy Office Challenge’, with a record-breaking 91% of staff taking part, including from the Australian office of specialist small-ship cruising company Unforgettable Croatia.
Running from April 20 to May 31, the six-week challenge saw 78 employees across 19 teams collectively complete 37,114,601 steps, equivalent to 29,864km or 708 full-length marathons.
Employees also completed 1654 workouts, 865 yoga sessions and 1229 meditation sessions, spending 1648 hours exercising and burning 2.1 million calories throughout the challenge.
Employees were divided into small teams across departments and offices, with points awarded for step counts, workouts, yoga sessions, meditation, hours slept and hydration levels, with weekly check-ins to monitor progress and reward individual performances.
The challenge also created a strong social element across the business, with 1392 messages exchanged in the company’s Healthy Office Challenge WhatsApp group, and 376 photos and video moments shared.
Rewards for being healthy
Everyone who completed the challenge received an extra two days’ annual leave, as well as a subsidy for healthy food and gym membership during the challenge. A FitBit is purchased for any staff member without one to accurately track performance.
The challenge forms part of a wider program of employee benefits, including a £1000 (around AU$2000) annual ‘Travel Enrichment Fund’ for every employee, supporting first-hand exploration of destinations worldwide; a ‘Family Horizons Fund’ offering up to £2500 (around AU$5000) towards fertility treatment, adoption or surrogacy; enhanced sick pay and a company-funded Calm app subscription.
The completion of the ‘Healthy Office Challenge’ follows the news that Unforgettable Travel Company was named one of the best places to work in the UK as part of The Sunday Times’ list that ranks the UK’s leading employers based on employee engagement, wellbeing and satisfaction.
“I’m incredibly proud of how our team has embraced this year’s ‘Healthy Office Challenge’, getting involved and supporting one another throughout – as well as witnessing some healthy competition along the way,” Unforgettable Travel Company co-founder at Graham Carter said.
“To have 91 per cent of the company take part is a brilliant achievement, and the results speak for themselves. From more than 37 million steps to hundreds of workouts, yoga sessions and meditation sessions, it has been inspiring to see colleagues prioritise wellbeing in such a positive and motivating way.
“At Unforgettable Travel Company, we believe creating an exceptional workplace means investing in our people both professionally and personally. The challenge reflects our wider commitment to employee wellbeing, and being named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list is fantastic recognition of the culture we’re continuing to build together.”
