International Sports Challenge - see how to organize an action for all of Europe!
Company:
Raben
Description:
Sports challenge initiated by the company's president Edwald Raben
Industry
Logistics
Goal
Integration in teams, strengthening employees' sense of belonging to the company, caring for the health of employees
The biggest motivation for participating in the Raben Sport Challenge for me is the model of friendly competition, where one motivates another (a good motivator for cycling are also traffic jams on the Tricity bypass). It was an amazing surprise that in the Raben Group we have so many people with drive, not only in Poland but also in Europe.
Przemysław Lauryn, Warehouse Manager
Summary
"Raben Sports Challenge" is a large-scale sports challenge organized by the Raben Group. Raben is an international company, so employees from companies all over Europe were involved in the joint action. The goal of the project was to show that everyone is one community and it was definitely achieved.
"Did you see Emilia? She rode her bike to death today" - this is one of many phrases spoken during a coffee break in the office kitchen. The challenge in the company was really loud! Returning after the weekend, people talked about their routes at work. Even those who did not participate had to hear these stories. There were a lot of smiles in the whole group! Ukraine was an exceptional team, for whom such an event was the first opportunity in a long time to take their minds off what was happening in the country. "It proved to us that we are together, we support each other," recalls one of the participants of the Ukrainian team.
What I like about the sports challenge is motivating everyone to be more active and challenging other colleagues. People are usually accustomed to driving short distances, but thanks to this challenge it seems that everyone is riding a bike because of the points they can get.
Celine Verheezen from Raben Netherlands
Challenge purpose
As they say, the first step is the hardest. Therefore, the hardest part at the start was getting the information to all employees that this challenge would take place. We organized meetings sequentially with top management, and then with lower levels and employees. The basis of promotion was also mailing and graphic materials.
Striving to achieve a goal in a specified time is daily bread for employees of a logistics company. Raben employees say that competition is in their DNA! Therefore, in an action based on gamification, participants found themselves perfectly. After signing up for the challenge, they really took their activities to heart and were really engaged in improving the results of their team. Half-jokingly, half seriously, some got so involved in the fun and felt such satisfaction from it that at the end they stated that they neglected other areas of free time, such as taking care of the home garden.
I recently moved to the village of Zevenbergen and wanted to get to know all the bicycle paths I could find. This challenge allowed me to speed up this process significantly! What I like about this challenge is the fact that I was able to befriend colleagues from other departments...
Joachim Prook, challenge participant
Results
Over 70% of participants indicated that thanks to the challenge, they move more than before! It is well known that sport is a great stress reliever, so thanks to one action, it was possible to take a holistic approach to supporting the health of employees.
An important element of the challenge was the unification of companies and branches. Employees jointly created a strategy for victory and earning points. Some started getting up earlier to make miles before work! The team spirit between countries was very clear. This aspect was highlighted thanks to the community board in Activy, where participants shared numerous photos from their activities. Besides topics for conversation, the action also provided many opportunities for team meetings.
In order to integrate the teams, the coordinators prepared 4-weekend team events consisting of arriving together on a given day at a specific place. Thanks to which they could move together, and at the same time receive bonuses in the game.
We are driven by competition, the ability to track other participants' results, and to boast about our achievements, which positively affect the entire team's results.
Fresh Logistics Poland team
Summary
Conducting a sports action on the scale of the Raben Group is a huge challenge, which the company coped with perfectly! The great success of this project would not have been possible without the involvement of coordinators from all countries, as well as the president himself. Edwald Raben was a role model for employees, actively participating in the sports fun and believing in the mission that we are jointly implementing - activating employees and getting off the couch those who have long had little to do with daily movement. The president's post sent to participants during the warm-up, motivating for joint activities, was very popular!
Employees do not hide their expectations for the next edition of Raben Sport Challenge ;) It was the first such large action integrating Raben employees, and the company is already thinking about organizing a sports challenge for the next summer season!
I appreciate that there were also people who changed their lifestyle - they didn't suspect themselves that they could do it. They discovered the possibility of spending time pleasantly on walks, with family, with children, and just actively. The challenge participant had points, and the whole family had a nice day and something good for their health.
Beata Szymczak, challenge coordinator