Workplace Activator

We all know that keeping active is good for your health and wellbeing. But it’s also a great way to boost confidence, self esteem and deal with stress. Work is often cited as a barrier to stopping people from being more physically active, but it’s also a great place to motivate people. What’s more, employees who are more active tend to be more productive and less likely to be absent from work due to illness, stress and other preventable conditions. With this in mind Central YMCA developed the Workplace Activator programme. This project was sponsored by the Health, Work and Wellbeing Challenge Fund and both NHS Camden and NHS Westminster. 

The aim of the project was to encourage people to be more active at work, and we did this by training activity champions in the workplace. The pilot project was one of the first of its kind and took place in the Central YMCA Club based in Central London.

Employees from 17 companies located nearby took part in the pilot, and 31 activity champions (or Workplace Activators) were trained by YMCAfit. Once trained, their job was to encourage their less active work colleagues to be more physically active. Each participant received 3 months free membership at Central YMCA and a range of other benefits, including dedicated classes, pedometers and fitness assessments. 

The project is currently being evaluated by the University of Westminster, although the initial results are very encouraging. If you get a chance, please watch the short film in which some of the participants from the Workplace Activator programme talk about the difference it has made. Already over 1 in 3 of the people who took received the 3 month free membership have since become members of the Central YMCA Club.

What’s more Central YMCA has now secured over £120,000 of funding to roll out the scheme across London. Over the next 2 years we will be training over 700 Workplace Activators, who will hopefully engage thousands more in physical activity. And there’s potential for further roll out across the UK – to other companies.

If you are interested in developing your own Workplace Activators please contact Robin Gargrave on r.gargrave@centralymca.org.uk or 07863 145 997. To read the three month briefing, click here.