Myhrtoolkit gets Active in April
In the last stretch of lockdown, the myhrtoolkit team are participating in a team-building activity to collectively walk or run at least 1 million steps in the duration of April. Follow our progress here!
Why we chose to run with Active April
From the start of lockdown, we have recognised that our employees’ personal and professional lives would naturally be affected in relation to their motivation surrounding work, keeping active, and getting outdoors more frequently. Therefore, from March 2020, we have provided our employees with extended and flexible working routines to provide the opportunity for them to get outdoors and active during daylight hours.
Now that the weather is turning brighter and warmer, we have created the team-building challenge of Active April to further encourage our employees to get outside more and to display some of the benefits of running virtual team building activities in lockdown.
How many steps?!
As a company, we initially strived to collectively walk or run 1 million steps in April. However, after just the first week, the team have increased our total target to 3 million steps in April, because we’re strides ahead of our original goal!
- Week 1 total = 884,665
- Week 2 total = 1,064,485
- Week 3 total = 845,498
- Week 4 total = 1,042,101
- Running (or jogging, or walking) total = 3,836,749
Active April has given our team the perfect excuse to take a longer stroll or to try beat their personal best on a run. Our team have ventured far and wide in the past weeks, many with their pets (we also recently celebrated International Pet Day), ramping up their total combined step count quickly.
See the pictures below of some of our team’s adventures...
Social Media Marketing Executive, Hannah Wheater on a ramble in the Peak District | Myhrtoolkit founder, Jon Curtis and his wife Amanda on a walk around Longshaw Estate, Derbyshire |
Partnerships Manager, Marie Cheng and her dog Millie on Higger Tor in the Peak District | Customer Relationship Manager, Chris Walsh at
Froggatt Edge (also in the Peak District!)
|
Senior Marketing Executive, Camille Brouard with her dog Bo on the beach in Guernsey | Accounts Manager, Lindsay Dale on a walk with her dog Lilly on the Underbank Reservoir, Stocksbridge |
3 benefits of team building activities in lockdown
Employee engagement
Discovering how to engage and motivate remote working employees has become a challenge and hugely important for many employers during lockdown. Running virtual team building events can provide a great way for employees to socialise and de-stress from their normal working routine.
Combatting loneliness
We explored the workplace loneliness epidemic on our blog back in 2018 – with lockdown and a lack of opportunities to socialise, things have only gotten more difficult for many in the past year. Using fun and creative ways to keep things social – like a virtual teambuilding challenge – can help combat loneliness and keep people in touch.
Teamwork
Before lockdown, team building activities were used to encourage personal relationships and informality in the workplace (and it looks as though this can slowly become the case again!) Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees have had limited face-to-face and in person interactions. Therefore, virtual team building activities have proven a great way for teammates to stay connected in an informal manner.