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.

@LunaHeather, I suspect if women's history or labour history was taught, more women would have an inkling of what is at stake here.

Reasoning would help too.

[quote CorianderBee]@ememem84 what are single women supposed to do about their taxes etc if that's the case?[/quote]
Ah if you’re single it’s ok. It’s only once you get married you become husbands property.

She said her team were always winning because they were all doing it

Similar thing at my workplace, although voluntary and in work time. We had a most steps in month thing and were buddied up. I forget the "prize" but everyone tried to bully me into buddying up with them because I do more steps than anyone. I refused for two reasons, unfair to anyone who cannot do it at all and frankly they all expected me to do the work and they gain. I do between 70k and 100k steps a day. Our site covers a vast area and I dont use the electric buggies to get around.
I would have won every time, unfair on everyone on site.

Ridiculous OP.

I just shook my phone about and it counted steps!

So many hard of thinking on here. Some people can't even do five steps.

If the manager really gave a fuck about your health, she would suggest doing it in work time.

In one of my jobs we occasionally did a days work and carried on working until 5am ish. I was paid handsomely and did it willingly.

However, I would not do what you are being asked to do OP. What you do in your lunch hour is none of their business. If you know your team well, there may be others who feel the same. Would it be worth checking what other team members think?

Play 'Tragedy' 200 times- is that not 1000 Steps?

@LunaHeather

"I apparently cannot fill in my own tax form or speak about my personal tax affairs. Dh has to do this for me. Because I am his property according to tax law"

I had no idea Jersey was like this 😱

Things are changing slowly. But it’s still slow progress. I can fill my return in online but dh still has to declare my Figures and I still can’t talk about my own tax affairs without dhs permission. Because married.

Standard jersey will states that everything gets left to the oldest son. Not even oldest child. The oldest son. Thankfully things there are changing but some people still go for the old style wills.

Divorce law massively favours the woman/mother of kids involved.

And things are calculated on household income.
A recent case involved a couple with kids of uni age who had divorced. Mother had a new partner who she lived with. Also divorced. Also had kids. He was expected to pay for his own kids makntenence until they reached 18 plus his partners kids for uni. Because household income.

Understand parental j come being taken into consideration. But this guy wasn’t the kids father.....

This is absolute bullshit but if you do get guilted into contributing at least the thousand steps just know that the full version of Blue Monday by New Order (absolute tune) is a couple under 1000 steps if you march along to the beat.

Over in a few mins then you can sit the fuck down.

Or just wave your arms around or do ten mins on an exercise bike with the pedometer in your sock.

Not that I'm a fan of cheating the system or anything.

They can’t.

But I assume this is a team bonding activity that you could technically refuse but it would be awkward?

In which case I would say happy to do it, but not for them to have access to phone - privacy etc - and I will just upload steps. Then do what you want.

Strap it to one of your kids and stick on joe wicks

A month of 1 hours to get half a day off? No thanks

I have heard of some mental workplaces but this is completely ridiculous. If your manager wants to count steps then he / she should get on with it alone. I would be sending the 'What a lovely idea, but unfortunately I will not be taking part.'
Don't get drawn into explanations. I use my lunch hour to eat my lunch FFS

They want screenshots from our phones to 'prove' it

Well I happen to have the Strava app on my phone so I can record distance but I don't have a step counter on my phone.

They are assuming (a) you have a smartphone and (b) you want to install a new app on it.

Just ignore the messages about it. What's going to happen? They tell you you're a misery? And?

How are you supposed to achieve that if you use your lunch break to do other things, like catching up on home learning for example? Or eating your lunch? Preparing the evening meal etc? It's good that they are encouraging exercise, but implying you must do it or you'll let the team down is not on. Just tell them what you think, you won't be the only one

I hope OP returns.

For those still going on about the OP not wanting to participate, I would like to quote you from her own post (I think the 5th one):

I've got kids I'm homeschooling and have health issues as well as other responsibilities.

And even so, not wanting to participate is perfectly acceptable given this is expected to be done during her own time.

@LunaHeather

I hope OP returns.

She did, at 19:19.

I hate these forced 'team' things. I go for a quick walk at lunchtime because I want to, not because my company tells me to! I also only go in decent weather, definitely not if it's raining.

That’s only half a mile!! Ten minutes of walking, maybe 7 minutes if you’re fast

@Porridgeoat

That’s only half a mile!! Ten minutes of walking, maybe 7 minutes if you’re fast

And discriminatory if you’re disabled

I feel sorry for all those people who work for companies who think they get a tick in the box for "wellbeing" by guilt tripping people into doing something they don't want to. Seems to me that makes you feel worse, not better.

I go for a half hour walk or run every lunchtime, and have taken part in local voluntary workplace step challenges, but there is no way I'd be doing this, or be asking my team to. There are plenty of other ways to motivate people (competition doesn't do it for me!) and engender team spirit, but it does take a bit of knowing your team and what will work for them - ability wise and personality wise. This manager doesn't seem to have learnt this.

Put your fit bit/ step counter on the dogs collar and put him in the garden with a ball....

@Porridgeoat

That’s only half a mile!! Ten minutes of walking, maybe 7 minutes if you’re fast

And what if you’re slow? So slow it takes all your unpaid lunch break? So then you’ll not only be working your 9-5 without a break - illegal - you won’t win the competition- disability discrimination - and you’ll let your team down by being rubbish - workplace bullying.

@Porridgeoat

That’s only half a mile!! Ten minutes of walking, maybe 7 minutes if you’re fast

Read the room!

Or at least the OP's posts.

To all those saying but it's only 10 minutes. You're missing the point that OPs manager is setting tasks which need to be completed in the OPs unpaid time then shaming people that don't comply. It doesn't matter that this is something good for you that many wouldn't mind doing. What about next time when it's not? Do you think it would be acceptable for this manager to schedule daily meetings during lunch breaks as it'll only take 10 minutes?