In just a couple of days – on the 21st of May – the Global Corporate Challenge kicks off for 2009. Take note of that date, white collar workers of the world; sedentary, myopic and spinning sadly on your ergonomic chairs. On the 21st of May, the revolution hits the road! Not by plane, train or automobile but the good old fashioned way: on foot.  

While not all office workers are unhealthy, short-sighted or depressed, it’s no secret that the increasingly sedentary nature of Australia’s workforce represents some enormous risks in terms of health, wellbeing and injury management. These risks are being confronted head on by the good folk at WorkSafe Victoria.

“We’re an organisation with predominantly sedentary jobs where we sit at desks all day,” Jenny Maiolo told us, when asked about why her organisation has chosen to participate in the Global Corporate Challenge. “The average age of our workforce is in the low forties, so to address the health and wellbeing issues associated with that, we need to get people moving.”

For underactive office workers – and overworked OHS employees – the Global Corporate Challenge (or GCC as it’s known to its friends) might be just what the doctor ordered.

The GCC seeks to improve the fitness levels of office workers by encouraging them to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. With Olympic gold medallist runner Herb Elliot to drum up enthusiasm, pedometers for every participant and a virtual ‘tour around the world’ to keep teams motivated as they pound the pavement, it’s no surprise that the GCC is turning heads.

“It was very well received [at WorkSafe],” Ms Maiolo said. “As soon as the information went out there were people emailing back saying ‘Yes, I want to be involved’. In the first year we had 50 teams [of 7], which was about 1/3 of our workforce. Last year we had 69 teams, so there was quite an increase. It’s been a really positive thing in the workplace.”

There were several key reasons why the GCC was the perfect complement to WorkSafe Vic’s internal health and wellbeing programs:

• It is a very flexible program that can be undertaken anywhere, so regional as well as metropolitan offices can be involved;
• The team-based nature of the program allowed OHS employees to utilise existing “health and wellbeing champions” within the organisation, to help motivate less health conscious staff;
• Walking for exercise can easily be incorporated into most people’s lives – it’s not as big a lifestyle change as going to the gym, for example;
• Work pays for the program, so participants don’t have to fork out their own money to be involved; and
• Once OHS employees have coordinated the initial set-up the program runs itself, leaving these busy people with more time to focus on other, more targeted interventions.

WorkSafe also made the most of the GCC by organising complementary health events around it.

“At the conclusion of each year we’ve held an event where people from GCC come in and talk to employees about the benefits of walking – the long term as well as the short term. The participation rate in that is fantastic as well. People really are interested: they’re concerned about their health and wellbeing.”

Get outta town – and let’s get walking!