10,000 Steps to Better Health

This initiative helps us to create a culture of health and wellbeing in our organization by challenging each of our employees to walk at least 10,000 steps every day. 177 teams, which included 1,239 employees from 14 countries and many corporate functions, participated. Together, our employees walked 1,842,920,910 steps, the equivalent of circling the earth 29.4 times.

In addition to physical exercise, this year’s challenge included modules on strengthening psychological health and wellbeing. Employees were given practical tips on improving focus, understanding sleep patterns and improving sleep quality, and coping with stressful situations. Attendees at a module on nutrition received a food calculator, a weekly weight tracker and tailored healthy eating advice.

This year, we awarded the team that walked the furthest in the first 50 days, and the team that walked the furthest after 100 days, CHF 500 to donate to a charity of their choice. Our “Elite Class” team from Nigeria won both times and donated its winnings to the Nazarene's Feet charity and the Mercy Foundation.

During the challenge, 83% of participants exceeded their goal of 10,000 steps a day. Altogether, participants achieved a total of 823 kg of weight loss, and 69% reported feeling less stressed after taking on the challenge.