 Promoting walking in the winter - our top tips
This is the latest in a series of top ten tips to ensure that your employees are not only walking to and from work, but walking more within the workplace.
This month we focus on what you can do to promote walking in the winter. It may not sound like the ideal time to promote walking, but it's important to foster sustainable behaviour in all seasons.
Implement these tips and you'll be one step closer to showing your commitment to a walking-friendly workplace, and a healthy, happy workforce!
Got better ideas than us? Email your top tips to
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and we'll share the best ones, and credit your company too.
1. Free brekkie for walkers
There's nothing quite like food to get employees motivated. A free breakfast if they have walked at least 20 minutes to work always kick-starts walking as well as team spirit!
2. Walking lottery
Have a system whereby one member of the organisation is randomly selected each week to walk to work. They can mix public transport/driving but they must walk at least 30 minutes per day. This is a good way to get those more reluctant to have a go with a method that is fair to all
3. Clever publicity
Publicise the right points about walking. For example, there has been much research to suggest that we are more productive after exercise. Jim McKenna, Professor of Sport at Leeds Met, found that 65% of workers had better quality of work, mental performance and time management on the days when they exercised.
4. Lie in day...
For every X number of walking journeys, employees earn half a day off. Seeing as employees work more efficiently from exercising and are healthier as a result (saving you on health insurance), it won't be at your expense.
5. Flexi hours for walkers
One of the biggest barriers to walking in the morning is the time factor. No one wants to get out of bed 20 minutes earlier to exercise. Allowing staff to choose to come in half an hour later on the days that they have walked, will be a big step towards promoting healthier employee lifestyles.
6. Company reminder in diary
Choose a regular date once a week or once a month, and set this up in all staff calendar, set with a reminder which goes out the day preceding, encouraging everyone to walk at least 15 minutes on their walk to work the next day.
7. Map it out
Put up a big map, or have one on-line, where staff can put a pin where they live with their name. Knowing of other staff members who live near will encourage information sharing of individual travel plans, and they may even find out a much easier journey to work they didn't know of before.
8. Subsidise
Partner up with local businesses to subsidise various walking products; comfy shoes, brollies, rain coats. No one can resist a bargain.
9. Annual award ceremony
This can cover whatever you want; green awards, health awards, cyclist and walker of the year. Use the celebration as a chance to reward and publicise those who are making an effort to change their commute.
10. Caffeine fix
For those employees who can't function without a coffee in the morning, organise a free coffee for whoever has walked to work for more than 20 minutes, whether this is from the staff canteen or a local coffee shop.
Previous top tips
Download these top tips by clicking on the link below.
 walking_in_the_workplace.pdf 207.06 Kb
promoting_walking_in_winter.pdf 387.04 Kb
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