Hello, hello!

Looking to learn how fitness can help tighten up your company culture and strengthen community at the office?

Well, we’ve got a fun interview with Christie Moreno from OpenSymmetry to share with you a few ways it can! Christie and the team at her office have been participating in the Fit Company Challenge for several years and we always love catching up with them and hearing about the amazing culture they have at their office.

Would you say that wellness plays an important role at your company?

Definitely. Wellness plays a role right from the start. During the hiring phrase when we’re onboarding new people, we’re very open about it. We let them know about our initiatives and goals and the flexibility that the company offers. In turn, we encourage them to be open about fitness goals and personal goals and anything like that because we want them to know that “hey, we do offer things for this.” I mean, a lot of us even get out during our lunch breaks to go for runs and things like that.

I guess it’s not unusual to see people in their workout attire in the afternoons?

Oh, absolutely not. A lot of us stay in our gym shorts in the afternoon. Sometimes we warn new team members that, if we go for a lunch workout, they can expect us to come back to the office in our shorts. And it’s fine, and very acceptable.

What do you do to get prepared for the Challenge?

We used to be informal about our preparation, but starting last year we started organizing group training events before the challenge. Usually once or twice a week, and they last about an hour. They’re good to self-motivate each other and also to get us prepared for the Challenge itself. After all, no two people have the exact same fitness level. So no matter where they are with their own thing, it’s good to get the ball rolling together as a team.

Have you found that the regular training and exercises really help your team succeed?

For sure. Let me give you one example. A girl at our office had a baby in March last year, got back into training in May and did the Challenge in September! She told us after, that this was the easiest one she ever did, thanks to the training regime which is of course inspiring to all of us.

How do you go about building your team for the Challenge?

Well, we open it to whoever wants to join. We have an internal page where I start posting stuff there and emailing people. I also showed them the Fit Company Challenge YouTube videos so people can get familiar with the Challenge and be like “hey, this looks like something we can do!”

We’re lucky that we get a good mix of people showing up. During our training in April, I was so happy to see four or five of our new hires joining us. I’m talking people who haven’t even been with us for 30 days. But they came out to engage with their co-workers, interact with one another and all that. I have to say it was an excellent opportunity to come out and meet each other.

We’re also lucky because each year we get people to fly in from the other regions where we have offices. These can be people from Missouri, England, India, elsewhere. There’s always at least one who does the Challenge with us.

Have you come across any cross region chatter or friendly competition.

Oh yeah. There was this one gentleman from a couple years ago who came in and he wanted to represent his region really well. So once here, he started doing all these challenges and not just the Fit Company Challenge. Tough Mudders, Spartan Runs. It was all, you know, to show his office that he was their guy and representing them.

Do you find people not participating in the Challenge also come out and support the team?

Of course. We all get really into it. We make our own shirts. We bring breakfast, coffee, pizza, cake to the events. After it’s done, we often go out for a drink and celebrate. We want everyone to know it’s not just about the Challenge, but a great time to hang out and bond with our peers.

When it comes to training for the Challenge, do you open it to everyone or just participants?

Oh, it’s open to everyone. We have these training sessions year round. For people who can’t take part in the challenge, they are still welcome to come to the training sessions. This really helps encourage the team component for everyone at the company.

Our company is actually really forward about elevating fitness and wellness. Anyone who does something like this can expense their registration fees, which is great. Our company also subsidizes our gym memberships. Things like this give us that extra push and lets us know that the company is supporting us and our goals every step of the way.

Give us an idea of the different types of wellness activities your company does.

We used to do yoga once a week in the office, but since we moved we put a pause on that. Right now we have an internal chat system with a gym group. We all post in there to keep each other accountable. Our company on a whole also participates in lots of events like marathons, races, and things like that throughout the year.

Having a message system for the gym is great! How often do you post things there?

Usually when it’s for an event like yours, we send out notifications so people know the date. I also like sharing the Office Workouts of the Day that you guys have, and also other related content. There was one interesting piece you did on how to set up an office workout spaces and I showed that to our CEO. Ultimately, I’d say I try to send out as much communication as I can.

One last question: do you see people setting goals for the Challenge?

Of course. There’s always the people that say “hey, I want to do this or that.” Often it’s the burpees. Just being able to complete them and not feel bad after is a great goal. Or there’s people that tell me they just want to be able to complete one Inverted Row. When I hear that, I’m like “okay, let’s do it!” Even little goals will make your stronger in the long run.

And that wraps up our interview. We just wanted to say thanks as always – this time to Christie – for being able to spare us some time and inspire us with all they do at OpenSymmetry for their team wellness!

Hey everyone!

Joining us today is Larimie McGarvey, the Fit Company Challenge team captain over at Austin Fraser. They’ve been coming to the Challenge for several years and always bring a really competitive (and fun!) team to the field!

We were fortunate to have been able to interview her and learn a lot about their company’s inspiring wellness culture.

How many years has your company been doing the challenge?

We’ve done it for three years, and our company has been in Austin for four years.

Out of curiosity, how did you get picked as team captain?

Being the US operations executive, I do quite a bit. When it comes to culture building or company activities, I’m usually the one taking the lead on that.

What are some of the other events and programs you organize?

One of our big ones is our monthly after hours, and we capitalize the AF (Austin Fraser) for AFter hours. These events can be pretty much anything like volleyball, bowling, hanging out with everyone and their families at the park, things like that. We try to keep these events activity-based.

That’s a lot of engagement! How does the company support or promote these events?

We’re a really close office and it’s kind of a part of our culture to share what we have going on and invite people to come along. For instance, I recently found out I was a universal blood donor and sent out an email saying I was going to go give blood and just like that got other team members to give blood too! Getting out and doing activities as a team is something that’s really ingrained in our culture.

Is it safe to say that your company has a culture where it’s not weird for people to suddenly drop and do push-ups together?

Well, that one doesn’t happen too often … but if it did it wouldn’t be an issue!

What type of things have you done in the past or this year to prep for the Fit Company Challenge.

We’re just really competitive individuals at the office who love to win and be successful. While we don’t do any formal team workouts, most of our people are already the kind who do triathlons, marathons, and charitable activities like Race for the Cure. They’re the kind of people who do workouts during lunch break or who hit the gym together after work.

When it came to prepping for the Challenge, did you notice people training together as squads, or by department, or anything like that?

We like to use accountability buddies! People pair off with other people at the same fitness level and ask “okay, what we can do to elevate ourselves?” I’d say that everybody’s kind of on their own different levels of athleticism that they maintain on their own, and collectively it all just comes together and works out really well.

What do you do leading up to the Challenge to get people pumped for the event?

I tend to lean on the emails you send us. They’re timed really well and help people stay in the loop and know what they’re getting into.

For instance, the first year I was involved, I didn’t know what I was getting into. It turned out to be a great challenge, but I wasn’t really prepared on the day of the event. So since then we’ve learned to share more with each other and make sure people know what to expect from the different levels of the Challenge. Having an open mind and open dialogue throughout the lead-up puts everyone at ease so they come to the challenge excited to participate.

Does your company provide incentives to get people to participate?

For competition day, we have people who compete and others who just come out and support the rest of us. Every year, I bring a canopy tent and we have a table set out for people to set their stuff. There will be participants and people who cheer us on and everyone makes a day out of it. After the event we always end up doing something together to celebrate as a team.

Do you guys set dedicated wellness targets each year or is it more organic?

We’re really fortunate here. People really enjoy being healthy and are very health-conscious. We have healthy snacks at the office like chia bars and chickpea chips and all that kind of stuff. But overall the team here is just really conscientious of the connection between their workouts, energy at the office, and diets. We don’t really have to push anyone to get involved.

Where do you think that the main drive for this culture comes from?

A combination of a lot of things. Basically, we start from the ground up. First, we make sure we’re hiring the best people out there. People who are smart, driven, and here for success. Then, once hired, we encourage them to keep pushing themselves for success to be better themselves, to work to get to that next stage of their career or life or whatever they are striving for.

Ultimately, we want to make sure that whenever we have someone come through the hiring process that we’re really transparent from the beginning. We want to be as clear upfront as possible so they know what to expect at the company and are as excited as we are on their first day of work.

Last question: do you guys set goals as a company, or is it more centered around the individual?

Oh yeah, there’s always goal setting going on here. It’s kind of in our nature. We have people who want to go out and learn another language, or save up and buy a new car or a new house. Everyone has their personal goals and as a business we want to understand those and not just their professional ones. Once we do, we see how we can help them achieve their goals in both personal and professional arenas.

We’d like to thank Larimie again for having taken the time to talk to us. We were so impressed with how entrenched wellness is at Austin Fraser with their wider company culture, and it’s no surprise they always place as one of the top teams at the Fit Company Challenge!

Welcome back to Squad Talk!

We’re off to the start of a great event season! We had an awesome first event in Houston and our next one is in coming up fast in San Diego this Saturday. To everyone getting ready for the San Diego Challenge, we wish you great times with your team!

To help get you motivated, we’ve got another quick interview ready for you today. It’s with Bonnie Nuciforo from Buffini & Company. They’re a company that really prizes wellness and we love that the Fit Company Challenge is now part of their wellness programs and company culture.

Enjoy!

How many times has Buffini & Co. been to the Fit Company Challenge?

This is our third year!

Are the same people returning this year or is it mostly new faces?

This year, our group looks to be about a 50/50 split of returning participants and new faces.

What sort of participants signed up for the event?

Our participants are from all across the spectrum as far as fitness is concerned. We’ve got the advanced ones who know where they stand and then those who more or less signed up because everyone else was getting out there. But even then, because these are not exercises you do every day, there’s something for everyone to brush up on before the event.

How do you get people out there and make sure it doesn’t sound intimidating?

We participated the last two years and it has always been really well received. So past participants told co-workers how amazing it was and reassured them that it’s friendly for all levels. This isn’t an event that’s going to knock you out, just push you. It’s a fitness event, sure, but it’s all about getting people together, getting people outside, and then having fun. The fun part really makes the difference.

Have you noticed any benefits so far at Buffini & Company?

Events like this help propagate a good team culture, a sense of “we’re all in this together.” It’s easy to sit at your desk and never talk to someone from across the building or in another building, but bringing them out to events reminds everyone that we’re all one big company and one big team.

What are you guys doing to get ready for this coming event?

Well, I have my background as a bootcamp trainer, so getting people organized is second nature. We set up two weekly workouts. Wednesdays after work, the participants get together for a one-hour bodyweight workout, and then on Saturdays I bring out my equipment – kettlebells and bands for a different style of training that not everyone gets on a daily basis.

What other sort of wellness initiatives are taking place at Buffini & Company?

Most of us want to be healthy individuals and the company offers a lot of extra incentives to get enrolled in health challenges, tutorials, lessons and so forth. We have a company “beBetter” wellness program that we can update and check regularly. We also earn what we call “Buffini Bucks” anytime we participate in something that improves our wellbeing. At the end of the year, all of us get together and we spend all our bucks at an auction for things like TVs, coffee makers, etc. It’s a real blast and it often pushes us to make more the following year by getting into new health and wellness programs.

Any final thoughts about the road leading to the event?

It’s been pretty cool to see people who work together now working out together. We don’t always get to talk to people from other departments, but getting out there and being able to work out together really creates a bond. Our team workout sessions are not the same as going to the gym with the regular buddies. It’s a different atmosphere that you wouldn’t normally get to experience.

Thanks again to Bonnie for having taken the time to talk to us and share all the awesome programs Buffini & Company are doing for wellness. We know they’re busy getting ready for the event this weekend and can’t wait to catch up with them in person.

Hope to catch you on the field soon!

The Fit Company Squad

Welcome back to Squad Talk!

We hope the winter blues hasn’t been getting to you … February can be cold but nothing a few push-ups or plank holds can’t warm up!

To bring some warmth to things, today we’re bringing you another quick interview. It’s with Adam Moret, Sr. Well-being Specialist and Brian Sutton, Associate Director over at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). Their Chicago office has participated in the Fit Company Challenge a couple years running, and they recently spoke with us about how their company gets people engaged with wellness events and how the Fit Company Challenge fit within their existing culture and wellness goals. In 2018 JLL won Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles, so they know a thing or two about Wellness and employee engagement!

What do the health and wellness initiatives look like at JLL?

Adam: A lot of companies put a ton of money into giving everyone across the company the same wellness benefits. For instance, subsidizing gym memberships, or giving everyone free headspace apps, but often they don’t have that much engagement – and certainly not at the local level. JLL does a mix of both. We have national programs that are company wide, such as programs with Fitbits and that sort of thing, but we also give local offices opportunities to tailor events that really fit their culture. After all, they know the employees best and every office has their own unique culture.

I heard you have something called “Health champions.” What’s that about?

Adam: The Health Champions are local wellness leaders at our offices. They’re typically the ones who take the lead on local initiatives and get people motivated for big events. They’re the kind of people who can talk to everyone and act as these beacons to get their colleagues interested in events and wellness programs.

How do you select your local Health Champions?

Adam: It’s all volunteer. Often it’s either a local team leader who can motivate people and help encourage others to get involved. Other times we’ve noticed our Champions are simply someone who knows everyone in the office such as our receptionists. They know everyone by first name and have ways of putting things on people’s desks encouraging them to participate.

How did the Fit Company Challenge fit in the Chicago office ecosystem with your Health Champions?

Brian: On one level it appealed to our employees who love competition, the kind who love nothing more than going out and pushing themselves to the next level. But for others, the main appeal was that it was a fun thing, that it brought people together who maybe weren’t connected before.

The suitable for all fitness levels part was great and a major point our Health Champions got across to people. It signaled that this wasn’t reserved for people who have completed an Ironman. It’s an event for anyone who wants to come out and have fun.

Ultimately, we wanted to build a culture where people get to grow, where they can meet up and work with folks they haven’t worked with before, and this event fit perfectly.

How were you able to get people engaged and excited about the event?

Brian: One thing that really worked for myself and our Health Champions was the personal touch. Getting up and talking to someone makes all the difference. It’s easy to ignore an email, but when a colleague walks up and says it will be a lot of fun and then after we’ll be able to share stories about it, that’s a lot more engaging. Once we had one or two people in, it really caught on by word of mouth – even after the fact. A lot of people came up and were like, “I’m interested and I want to know if you do this again.”

Any last minute takeaways?

Brian: Everyone who did the event, loved it. It was a great opportunity, bringing together wellness, fitness, mental wellness, and a great sense of belonging within JLL.

Thanks again to Adam and Brian for taking the time to chat with us about all the amazing wellness initiatives they have at JLL!

Talk to you soon,

The Fit Company Squad