DXC Technology Newcastle, which has 300+ staff based at Cobalt Business Park, is celebrating achieving the Gold Level of the Better Health at Work Award and working towards the continuing excellence level.

Project Manager David Coates, one of DXC’s two lead health advocates for the Better Health at Work Awards, describes how a virtual tour of Europe caught the imagination of the workforce:

“We had previously tried to take part in global sporting challenges, but found it difficult to be competitive due to the demands of working life. I knew a fair percentage of the workforce already took part in sporting or fitness activities, so I wondered whether there was a way we could combine the two, but without the cost and time off work.

“The BHAW scheme gave me the perfect opportunity to try out something a little different here at DXC Technology Newcastle; a ‘virtual’ tour of Europe….

“So as part of our campus employee engagement, we launched the ‘DXC Newcastle Campus Sports Tour of Europe’.

It is a cumulative mileage event, with each person’s monthly physical activity mileage tallied up, and plotted on a map across Europe.

We welcomed all activities that generated mileage including: running, jogging, walking (on the beach with the kids/dog etc), cycling (to work / mountain biking, out with the kids etc), swimming, kayaking, office steps or anything else that involves distance.

Colleagues just needed to register their interest and I included them in the team group and put their monthly total in the spreadsheet.

We started at the campus on 1 November 2018, and using the accumulated mileage made our way via the North Shields Ferry to Amsterdam, then all around Europe.

I plotted our progress and shared monthly updates as the team made its way around Europe, taking in the various sites.

Staff could also share their activity data as screenshots if they wanted to, but it wasn’t a requirement; just sending their total was good enough to make progress on the map.

All mileage was uploaded on to the spread sheet and used to calculate how far we had ‘travelled’. As simple as that!

Although the challenge concludes this month with prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd highest amount of mileage, the overall aim was to simply get maximum campus participation.

I was delighted to see how this lighthearted approach caught on with staff, and the competitive aspect added an extra incentive.

Going forward I am confident there will be more virtual challenges for ‘Team DXC’.

DXC Technology have been part of the Better Health at Work Award for three years with continued support throughout each stage of the award from Workplace Health Improvement Specialist Maureen Turner from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who supports businesses in North Tyneside to achieve the award.

We look forward to continuing to work with Maureen during the next level of award.

Any employer can take part in the free Better Health at Work Award. For more information visit www.betterhealthatworkne.org

Or contact Maureen Turner, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Health Improvement Practitioner Specialist on 0191 270 4514.