Work forcing walks

[CaramelCandle]

My whole team is wfh. The manager has decided that everyone needs to walk 1000 steps a day on their lunch hour for the next month. We've been put into teams and have to record the steps and the team with the most will win a half day off. There were a few people not keen to take part but everyone has been put into a team anyway. AIBU to think this is stupid? I understand the idea is to get people away from their desk etc but it's the way it's been done so that you're letting your team down if you don't take part that I think is unfair. Surely it would be better to give people a choice without the guilt.

I’m wondering if some of you work for the PIP assessors as you seem to be so unaware that many people can’t manage 1000 steps every day!

@EmpressWitchDoesntBurn

I’ve been wondering for a while how many steps a counter would rack up if I wore it while I was doing crochet.

Plenty, I reckon, depending on your wrist action. I recall a few years ago donig crochet on a long drive while ex was driving, and realised I'd added around 1700 steps by doing so.

Plenty, I reckon, depending on your wrist action. I recall a few years ago donig crochet on a long drive while ex was driving, and realised I'd added around 1700 steps by doing so.

Having thought about this - actually I’d say fuck it and give the story to a press publication- that would soon stop them!

I’d class this as a form of bullying. This is certainly not helping people’s mental health and activity disadvantages certain people - single parents, disabled etc

@UrAWizHarry

Like I said then, an ok idea in principle that has been implemented poorly.

Yes, it should be voluntary but in principle I have no issue with an employer encouraging people to get away from their desks, and if the reward for getting out for literally 5 minutes, which is all 1000 steps is, is a half day off that seems like not a bad deal to me.

If the employer actually wanted people to get away from their desks for health reasons then they'd be suggesting something in work time, not during lunchtime.

“In the end I put the step counter they sent me on my dog.”
🤣

@Newfor2021

Having thought about this - actually I’d say fuck it and give the story to a press publication- that would soon stop them!

I’d class this as a form of bullying. This is certainly not helping people’s mental health and activity disadvantages certain people - single parents, disabled etc

Yeah, that wouldn't be a massive overreaction at all.

@Sassysally12

AccidentallyOnPurpose

LunaHeather
I can't believe 25% think this is a reasonable demand from an employer.

Must be the "oh I do 5k steps before I even brush my teeth "brigade.

this did make me laugh!! Must have a lot of sleep walkers on here, everyone seems to do 1000 steps by the time they have even woke by the looks of it

i regularly do at least 4k steps before work. i wear my watch to bed, so if im up with the kids at nighttime it tracks steps. it tracks my steps to the bathroom in the morning. down the stairs, when im getting the dc dressed and chasing them round the house, from house to car from car to nursery from nursery to work. (if im in the office).

if im wfh i can do less steps in the morning, but still get around 2k before i sit down at my desk at the table.

@JustLyra in the eyes of the employer there is no opting out. but this doesn't mean the op has to do it. she just tells the employer that she isn't doing it. i'm going to assume that if the op's team had marathon runners in it who regularly ran 10 k at lunchtime and had no caring responsibilities then it would be ok to be "carried" by them? the op notes that its the team who does the most steps over the month. so just doing 1000 isn't going to generate a winner. if every team is say 6, and every team does the 1000 steps. then everyone wins. which sort of takes the challenge out of it.

that said 1000 steps in an hour in the house wouldn't be that hard.

And crap for people with young kids and disabilities.
I agree they should give you an extra 15 mins break if they want this done actually.

I do a 20 min walk every lunch regardless.

"If the employer actually wanted people to get away from their desks for health reasons then they'd be suggesting something in work time, not during lunchtime."

Plenty of companies encourage things like this outside of work. If you don't want to do it... don't.

@Newfor2021

Having thought about this - actually I’d say fuck it and give the story to a press publication- that would soon stop them!

I’d class this as a form of bullying. This is certainly not helping people’s mental health and activity disadvantages certain people - single parents, disabled etc

how is it bullying?

and how does it disadvantage single parents? i mean if you can do the steps in the house why not just do them in the house. just run on the spot. if you can obviously.

I don’t get what the big deal is. When I had a sedentary job, I used to get out for a 20-30 minute lunch break walk every day. I think it’s a great initiative to get everyone away from the desk for a breather, leg stretch and some fresh air. 1000 steps really is nothing.

my work (during non covid times) signed up for all sorts of things. the most memorable being the dragon boat race and the "its a knockout' competition.

both of which you had to be physically fit for. i took part in both one year. both of these on a saturday which took me away from dh and the dc. work realised this and gave everyone who chose to compete an additional days leave.

i'm going to assume that this would also be classed by some as disablist.

@mathanxiety I’ve not said promotion should be based on participation in discriminatory team building activities. Engagement with your team was my expression, engagement doesn’t mean your capacity to undertake 1000 steps a day nor attend strips clubs

I think the idea is probably meant with good intentions, however as someone with chronic health issues, despite walking 1000 steps being "nothing" to lots of people, it's not something I could reliably do every day. Something like this would make me feel very uncomfortable and under a lot of pressure and isn't something an employer should impose.

If work wanted to give me a phone onto which to download their app of choice, I might consider it. I am not downloading any tracking apps to my personal phone, thanks very much.

I think encouraging that is good. Enforcing it would piss me right off and if not want to do it.

[quote actanonverba22]@mathanxiety I’ve not said promotion should be based on participation in discriminatory team building activities. Engagement with your team was my expression, engagement doesn’t mean your capacity to undertake 1000 steps a day nor attend strips clubs [/quote]
agree that engagement with the team should be classed as a promotional aspect. but for me this means, talking with them, working well together, etc.

not going out on the piss.

(although in my old job it was made very clear that unless you were a smoker and joined the other smokers you weren't going to get promoted...bad atmosphere there though so i left).

This isn't good management. Its childish.

Have you got kids you could fix the step counter to? Or would it work if you put it on the washing machine?

Sod it
There are so many crazy statements on here, I'm just going to ask

OP, is this manager a male 20 something with very little work experience?

@GettingAwayWithIt

I honestly couldn’t get worked up about being encouraged to cover 1000 steps in my lunchbreak. Are people really so lazy that they won’t walk for 10 minutes? After presumably sitting all morning and prior to sitting all afternoon? Not leaving the house for anything? How very dare your workplace try and encourage a small amount of gentle exercise and fresh air. Contact the union!

I generally use my lunchbreak for chores. I walk at other times, to suit me. I would not be happy at the kind of coercion exhibited by OP's company.

Its hardly a hike to the Arctic it's a half a mile walk. You can do that in under 10 minutes if you pick your speed up.

If anything more office type environments should encourage this. Is frightening how reliant people are becoming on being as immobile as possible.

@Pinkfreesias

This isn't good management. Its childish.

Have you got kids you could fix the step counter to? Or would it work if you put it on the washing machine?

This thread is just comedy gold. "Childish" to suggest people get out of a 5 minute walk

@JesusAteMyHamster

Its hardly a hike to the Arctic it's a half a mile walk. You can do that in under 10 minutes if you pick your speed up.

If anything more office type environments should encourage this. Is frightening how reliant people are becoming on being as immobile as possible.

Agree.

@ememem84

my work (during non covid times) signed up for all sorts of things. the most memorable being the dragon boat race and the "its a knockout' competition.

both of which you had to be physically fit for. i took part in both one year. both of these on a saturday which took me away from dh and the dc. work realised this and gave everyone who chose to compete an additional days leave.

i'm going to assume that this would also be classed by some as disablist.

Yes, it is

There will be lots of people who couldn't compete, no one gave them an additional day off.

I see there is a FIRE thread, I'll go read that now, ,this is certainly extra motivation for FIRE!