Improving performance through colleague health and wellbeing

The challenge

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) is a global pharmaceutical company driven by the desire to improve human and animal health. BI is also committed to prioritising colleague wellbeing, supporting all their colleagues to be the best version of themselves. As part of this, we were asked to create a campaign to encourage everyone to seize the now for a happier and healthier lifestyle.

The solution

Let’s Get Active was a five-week programme of feel-good activities, designed to give physical and mental wellbeing a boost. It was important that the campaign appealed to a diverse colleague population and was targeted to colleagues in a variety of locations, including manufacturing, head office and field-based roles. Activities included inspirational downloads, motivational texts, topical podcasts as well as physical motivation stations at two sites, which hosted a range of equipment for staff to get active. Our Five-in-Five pledge competition asked staff to make an ‘active’ pledge each week, record their progress and share photos on the dedicated MS Teams Channel. Each week, we updated the growing totaliser to show colleagues their great progress and entered all participants into a prize draw. Management enthusiasm and influence was essential to the success of this campaign and our leader pack provided all the details for managers to support the campaign and encourage participation.

The results

Our robust plan and packed programme ensured a regular drumbeat of communications and activities. Quick-fire measurement questions provided a good gauge of the campaign’s success. Following the campaign, BI saw an 18% increase in colleagues getting active, with the main motivators of health, fitness and feel-good factors demonstrating an awareness of the themes and how they influenced colleagues. Around a third of colleagues got involved and together, journeyed 2,981 miles – the approximate length of the Sahara Desert.

“44 quickly understood what we were trying to achieve from the campaign and our challenges to reach colleagues in all locations and roles. They came up with solutions that enabled everyone to get involved, and it was great to see the level of engagement and activity increasing as the campaign grew. This was a great example of collaboration and provided focus for our colleagues to improve their wellbeing and enable them to achieve more.”

Helen Norris, Talent Specialist

Why we love it

“Developing this campaign and being part of the buzz throughout was great fun. The MS Teams Channel provided a hive of support, promoted collaboration and saw lots of fun photos being published, which really helped the campaign to stay alive across the five weeks.”

Jo Williams, Campaign Lead