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Results from the May 2017 Global Challenge program – in which over 300,000 participants in 185 countries took part in an initiative that improves physical activity, sleep and mental health – showed that:
- Members burned 12 billion calories – the equivalent of 53 million slices of pizza
- 65% of members who tracked their weight during the 100 Day Journey reported weight loss
- The average weight loss per member was 3.2 kg
- Members took a collective total of 319 billion steps
- Together they travelled a distance of 204 million kilometres – the equivalent of 17,093 trips from Sydney to San Francisco
Results from the program also highlight the significant impact that workplace wellbeing can have on overcoming common workplace performance challenges such as stress, sleep, and disengagement. All three are leading causes of lost productivity in the workplace. Stress alone drains over $300 billion annually from U.S. industry. Lack of sleep adds up to USD $411 billion annually and in the UK, disengagement totals losses of £340bn per year.
The Global Challenge had a significant impact on these common challenges:
- 68% of members saw a decrease in their stress levels either at home or at work
- 67% of members met the recommended amount of sleep vs. 56% before the program
- 62% of members became more aware of their organisation’s commitment to health and wellbeing
The Global Challenge results support the findings of a recent Virgin Pulse report issued in partnership with Human Capital Media, which showed that employee engagement and measurement of wellbeing programs were a key concern. The Global Challenge report proves that wellbeing can deliver on these key concerns.
Dr. David Batman, Virgin Pulse’s International Occupational Health Adviser and a member of the Virgin Pulse Institute’s Science Advisory Board said: “The release of the Global Challenge Global End of Event report shows employee benefits and more importantly, it demonstrates how, through increased awareness, education and motivation, employees are now mastering long-term, sustainable habits that allow them to arrive at work feeling less stressed, more energised through better sleep resulting in a more engaged workforce which is more productive and equipped for peak performance.
“The outcomes clearly demonstrate the proven fact that healthy, productive and resilient businesses need healthy, engaged and resilient employees.”
The next Virgin Pulse Global Challenge kicks off on May 23rd 2018. Find out more about the 2018 Global Challenge.