Those who move, win: The COSMO CONSULT teams traveled around the world nine times

No matter what your plans are and what you are trying to achieve in life, health and wellbeing are always paramount. That is why employee health is a key issue when it comes to any entrepreneurial activity. In fact, initiatives to boost employee health have been booming for many years, but not all of them bolster team spirit at the same time and keep participants motivated in the long term. This is specifically why the Virgin Pulse Global Challenge, initiated by well-known entrepreneur and visionary Richard Branson, really stands out with teams of seven employees each embarking on a virtual 100-day journey around the world.

The COSMOnauts could keep an eye on their progress at all times with an activity tracker. The aim was to walk 10,000 steps a day. On their journeys, participants explored new places along their digital route online and on their smartphones, exchanged their views in community forums, and were able to win additional trophies as they went. “As this is the second time we have run the program, we didn’t have to worry about getting enough participants because so many people enjoyed the challenge last year,” said Kim Helmig, HR Manager and instigator of the program at COSMO CONSULT. “The Global Challenge has been a great success for us and that is definitely because we focus on achieving a goal together, curiosity about the unknown, and the fun of exploring the world as a team, rather than on performance and competition.”

At the end of the trip, a clear picture emerged of what had happened over the course of the Global Challenge: The COSMO CONSULT teams from Europe and Latin America covered a combined distance that would have taken them around the world nine times. The employees managed impressive daily distances – the participants in the ten most active teams even got up to an average of more than 20,000 steps a day, which is double the initial target. Congratulations for the greatest distance covered go to last year’s winners – the Berlin team with the apt name “#eatmydust”. They were the undisputed victors with a total of 11,000 kilometers covered.

“COSMO CONSULT sponsors lots of other initiatives to promote employee health within the company. But as the flagship project, the Global Challenge has raised awareness of the issue and motivated many colleagues to continue being active in the future,” said Uwe Bergmann, CEO of the COSMO CONSULT Group and a participant in the program. “The Global Challenge also demonstrates how you can overcome any challenge with commitment, team spirit, and a clear goal in mind. If everyone works together towards a common goal and the process itself is fun, success is almost inevitable. For me, that is the special thing about this program and is what we experience every day at COSMO CONSULT.”