Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JULY 2018 12 FEATURES WELLNESS Wellness app gets people moving CBC/Radio-Canada tries out 30-day challenge focused on 5 'pillars of health' By Michael Moszberg B ack in 2017, CBC/Radio- Canada's EAP manage- ment team was looking for a way to add digital technol- ogy to its wellness offering. In particular, they were looking for a mobile option that inte- grated elements of personaliza- tion and gamification. The challenge was finding a bilingual app that could accom- modate employees spread across multiple locations while also be- ing easy to use and providing reli- able measurement data. e goal was to increase en- gagement in the wellness program and improve health outcomes, resulting in strengthened pro- ductivity and engagement while mitigating future health risks. CBC/Radio-Canada ended up using the Vistance Wellness app from Rideau Recognition. Employees were invited to download the app and partici- pate in a 30-day health challenge in early 2018 through a variety of team-based challenges sur- rounding five "pillars of health" — eating a balanced diet, drink- ing more water, exercising regu- larly, reducing stress and getting enough rest. Employees then formed teams with the goal of completing a set number of objectives within these pillars. To score points, daily rules in- cluding drinking lots of water, eat- ing healthy meals, walking 5,000 steps, doing 20 minutes of cardio and de-stressing exercises. Employees were encouraged to interact with teammates through the app to ensure their team was reaching its daily goals. Following the 30-day challenge, Patrick Gagné, senior national manager of CBC/Radio-Canada's EAP, received 15 pages of posi- tive comments and stories from people who found the challenge engaging, felt more fit, and expe- rienced higher energy levels. "e word 'energy' came up a lot," says Gagné. "e impact was not only felt from a health per- spective, but also in engagement and teamwork. Participants had a lot of fun with their colleagues — it created a lot of positive energy in our various offices." At the end of the challenge, the app's analytics revealed: • 98 per cent of participants had improved at least one lifestyle habit • 80 per cent of participants had a greater willingness to keep improving their health • 70 per cent of participants built stronger relationship with their colleagues • 50 per cent of participants felt improved energy at work. e app also contributed to an improvement in teamwork and engagement through shared mu- tual goals, which has a strong link to improved productivity, accord- ing to Gagné. One employee said the app "helps you change your habits and keeps you motivated," while another appreciated the social aspect: "It forces you to challenge yourself and interact with col- leagues that you might not have otherwise interacted with from various locations and depart- ments within the company." Based on information collected, including a post-challenge survey, participants' willingness and con- fidence to improve themselves in- creased significantly. When asked, "How did this challenge impact your opinion of your company's wellness efforts?" 73 per cent of participants said it had improved. And 88 per cent of participants wanted to do the challenge again. "The solution offers timely feedback, real-time analytics and is able to bring people closer to- gether," says Peter Hart, CEO of Rideau Recognition. "More importantly, it leads to small behavioural changes that yield big savings and hikes in pro- ductivity, as well as stronger rela- tionships among workers." Michael Moszberg is vice-president of wellness solutions for Vistance Wellness at Rideau Recognition in Montreal. He can be reached a t mi ch a e lm o s z b e r g @ r i d e au . com or for more information, visit greatcorporatehealthchallenge.com. Credit: Kiev.Victor (Shutterstock) Start your free trial subscription * THE CANADIAN PAYROLL MANUAL ONLINE (CLASSIC)/ LE MANUEL DE PAIE CANADIEN EN LIGNE (CLASSIQUE) OR THE CANADIAN PAYROLL MANUAL ONLINE (ELITE) See how our newly enhanced Canadian payroll references meet all your payroll needs New in 2018 New enhancements to the Thomson Reuters online payroll products FREE ACCESS FOR 30 DAYS * © 2017 Thomson Reuters Canada Limited 00246WX-88906-NK Call 1-800-387-5164 and ask to start today. 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