BackBudding snappers get walking
Want to know how you can get more people in your organisation walking?
Pharmaceutical company GSK say that knowing staff’s interests is key to participation in Walk to Work Week.
“Try to find out what it is that staff are interested in,” suggests GSK’s Transport Development Manager Catherine Warwick-Wilson. “For our staff it was photography, for others it might be nature. But essentially you need a theme that works with your organisational culture – and a little competition also helps.” Catherine is responsible for delivering transport support across GSK’s west London sites and sees taking part in Walk to Work Week as a way of promoting sustainable travel as well as getting staff more active. This year, as in the past, GSK is enticing staff to get walking with a photography-led walk through the local area. As an additional bonus, staff can submit their photos to a staff competition and the winning photos are used on a walking map of the local area that GSK have produced in conjunction with Living Streets's consultancy services team.
The maps have proved popular in both lunch breaks and after work and visitors staying nearby are using the maps so they can walk to the office rather than take taxis.
As a large proportion of staff live more than 20 miles away from the office, it was always going to be a challenge to get GSK staff walking to work so this year, GSK is asking those staff to try walking part of their way to work – in line with Walk to Work Week’s five challenges.
During last year’s Walk to Work Week, GSK used walkers’ breakfasts, Walk to Work Week resources, walk doctors, reflexologist sessions and roadshows to promote pledges to walk more during the week.
Walking champions are something that GSK feel is key to a successful week. These are people who can lead walks in lunch time around the area, so it’s a good idea to identify and train potential walk leaders before Walk to Work week starts.
GSK are also using the Week to promote other benefits to walking: get healthy, save money, save the environment and free your mind. This is part of a long-term piece of work GSK are doing to both support varied transport options for staff and promote better health as part of the company’s employee health plans.
Published on: 07/04/2010
