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.

Contact HR - they are overstepping the mark this not acceptable

Sally @ Sarahrellyboo1987 this is about in the workplace not at home. I’m sure you do loads more than 1000 steps at home looking after your child. I’m sure you are on the go constantly

@CaramelCandle

If I don't take part, it's not just me that won't win the extra half day, it's the rest of the people in the same team too. It's that sort of peer pressure and guilt that is bothering me the most. If it was individual then that's fine as it wouldn't be affecting other people's chances.

Your employer is seriously mad. I'd tell them to do one - no one tells me what to do in my own time🙄

1,000 is only half a mile but you shouldn't be forced to do it in YOUR lunch break!

You can cheat the step counter, just shake it around whilst you do something else ;)

@wildchild554

You can cheat the step counter, just shake it around whilst you do something else ;)

What step counter would that be? Among all the other issues....

You can be expected to do this if you have children to look after

I would do it if it was during work hours but not at my lunch time. I would instead get a wireless headset and then just walk around the house, up and down the stairs during the meetings and I will probably end up with more than 1000 steps.
I manage teams as well and I know that they will hate it if I tell them to walk during lunch time. So I won't force it on my teams. But if I had to do something like this then having a stand up meeting or walking around during the meeting would the idea I would throw at them.

1000 steps is more than 10 minutes, when I go for a 30 minute run, that's 7000 steps. (I run 5k)

Strap the pedometer to the dog. Done.

@RickyDad

I would do it if it was during work hours but not at my lunch time. I would instead get a wireless headset and then just walk around the house, up and down the stairs during the meetings and I will probably end up with more than 1000 steps. I manage teams as well and I know that they will hate it if I tell them to walk during lunch time. So I won't force it on my teams. But if I had to do something like this then having a stand up meeting or walking around during the meeting would the idea I would throw at them.

What if you don’t have a house to walk in? What if you are living and working in your bedroom in a flat in a house share? Most staff don’t have “meetings” at all. I have a catch-up meeting with my manager once a month for 20 minutes. No other meetings.

@donutqueen

Strap the pedometer to the dog. Done.

What pedometer?

With lots of posts saying "people with disabilities should be accommodated/not forced to participate"
Its asking people to declare a disability which they may not have done, I work a desk job that has always been wfh, I no longer declare my disability as it doesn't affect my actual work. Why should people have to declare this, if they potentially haven't for something that has nothing to do with their actual job.
If walking in my lunch hour was part of my job description, obviously I'd declare that I couldn't but just for some random forced scheme, no thanks.

@mapofeasterireland

Its a great idea for those interested.I'd like to have the motivation. You can do 1000 steps pretty quickly! I am sure they'd be fine with you saying you didn't want to.

Have you even bothered to read the OP’s posts?

I can do 1000 steps just pottering around the house putting a wash on, putting it on the line, gathering the washing up.

1000 steps really isn’t a lot. It will do you good too.

I wouldn't be impressed at strapping on a pedometer to do my lunchtime run. And I can't imagine it would be very nice for some colleagues being made to compare themselves to me.

I really enjoy walking but if they want to do it it should be in work time not lunch time you might have other commitments you need to use your lunchtime for.
And tbh it should also be voluntary

Unbelievably intrusive and controlling but this is the world we now live in.

@Happymum12345

1000 steps really isn’t a lot. It will do you good too.

It’s a lot to some. And it will harm some too, mentally and physically.

@EnglishGirlApproximately

I worked somewhere where a colleague took it upon herself to do a wall chart of everyone's food to make sure we were eating five a day She'd fit in well at your workplace

WOW!!!! I hope there wasn't anyone working there that had an eating disorder

@Happymum12345

1000 steps really isn’t a lot. It will do you good too.

Do you think my manager requiring I do 1000 steps during my (unpaid) lunchtimes would 'do me good? I'm disabled. I can't do 50 steps I have children whom I can't leave I check their work during my rare lunch breaks

I hate these kind of things - ‘fun’ and ‘competitive’ activities thought up by people who don’t understand not everyone has the same idea of fun, and some of us don’t have a competitive bone in our bodies.

As it happens I quite like walking and usual do around 10,000 steps a day. But if someone were to tel me I’m part of a team in a competition to do the most steps it would automatically get my back up.

If you’re feeling particularly passive aggressive tell then you’re doing the 1,000 steps a day but for your mental health and well-being (which surely they are trying to help...?) you prefer not to take your mobile with you so can’t verify your step count.

I think you should be able to opt out of it, however 1,000 steps isn’t that many and if you are stuck at a desk/screen all day it wouldn’t be a bad thing to get out or just move around your home.

So unimpressed by disablist discriminatory reply/ assumptions some PPs are making in replies on here

The thing is no employer can require this
Unless their staff are employed as fitness instructors, there is no requirement for anyone to compete in fitness stakes
Even more so when you realise a number of staff are likely to have hidden disabilities