We began the 16-week event by sprinting over the starting line. While the buzz of excitement around the office remains, our initial gusto has started to even out and we're settling into a rhythm, which we hope will be sustainable.
Our team, Ramblers Anonymous, is maintaining an average of about 13,000 steps a day, exceeding the GCC's daily target of 10,000 steps. The other teams in the group are all finding their own ways to clock up the steps. One team is reaping the benefits of GCC's cycling-to-steps converter, while another is regularly inputting swimming distance. The GCC Community, made up of 260,000 other participants all over the world, are always there to offer advice and tips if we need them.
As we record our daily activity, the GCC website takes us on a virtual journey around the world. We've passed through the Tijuca Rainforest in Brazil, and visited Siparia (Trinidad & Tobago) and Pedernales (Dominican Republic) to name just a couple. Depending on how active our team has been, we usually get to explore a fascinating new location every day.
The start of this challenge did bring out the competitive side of some of our colleagues, but the GCC is really about competing with yourself. So, the GCC's first mini-challenge weekend, 'Beat your Personal Best', was perfectly timed. June 8th and 9th saw the opportunity for us to push ourselves that little bit further and be instantly rewarded with a shiny new trophy for our virtual trophy cabinets - not to mention valuable bragging rights.
Last time, reporter Tom Newcombe reflected on his first two weeks. Today, HR magazine's advertisement manager Paul Barron shares how he's doing:
"As the sun begins to set on week 4 of the Global Corporate Challenge, the office is still full of friendly rivalry as we try to think of creative ways to beat our colleagues, march up the league table or claim some virtual silverware.
We've made a modest start, with our step average of around 13,000. At the start of the challenge, this might have been acceptable, but to still be harpooned at the bottom of the office league table is really starting to grate. Measures are being put in place to combat this, so with a bit of luck we can soon report significant progress. Like professional athletes, Ramblers Anonymous plan to peak at the right time.
From a personal viewpoint, I think my performance has been OK, but I feel I can do better. My average stands at 13,734, and the days where I don't do so well can be exclusively attributed to weekends and/or alcohol. I recently attached my GCC Pulse to my sock to play five-a-side football, which led to a personal best of more than 28,000. On the back of this I thought putting creosote on the garden fence might also boost my numbers. Unfortunately, it took about 2 hours and only gave me about 2,000 steps. A quick walk to the pub straight after racked up 1,500 steps: I'm planning to stick to what I enjoy from now on.
GCC definitely makes you move more. It is a great barometer as without it you rarely know how much you have actually moved in a day. It has also brought greater unity to the office, although sometimes at our expense. However, we are only a quarter of a way through, and I'm confident we will continue to enjoy the challenge."
