Especially after the pandemic, we were also keen to promote healthy team activities. With this in mind, the IML management team therefore decided to launch the «Sport over lunch» health promotion programme at IML.
The aim was to offer employees the opportunity to engage in physical activity in a group, virtually at the workplace. So we asked Unisport for support. Unisport was and is enthusiastic about it; the IML is obviously taking on a pioneering role with this programme. We defined the following parameters:
- Guided training sessions of approx. 45 - 50 minutes take place twice a week. Attending the training sessions counts as a lunch break.
- Registration is required for participation, which is possible from week to week.
- The instructors are provided by Unisport and paid by the IML.
In September 2022, we launched two programmes for the time being until the end of the year: Jogging as outdoor training and BodyArt as indoor training. Jogging did not seem to prove successful. The needs and levels were too different; perhaps the nasty winter weather also put some people off training. BodyArt is a workout that trains people holistically, i.e. as a unity of body, mind and soul. The focus is on flowing movements, stretching and relaxation elements that lead to physical well-being in everyday life. BodyArt started with a small group. We attributed this to the intensive year-end work and absences due to illness.
The management team decided to continue the sports programme in 2023. A Pilates lesson was added to the programme on Mondays, while BodyArt on Thursdays remained unchanged. The slightly adapted offer and certainly also the good New Year's resolutions of the employees really got the sports programme going. The momentum still seems to be there today, especially as employees motivate each other to take part. The training sessions are attended by employees from different departments. This promotes contacts across departmental boundaries, which also strengthens cooperation within IML as a whole.
The instructors have also become an integral part of our sports programme and appreciate our small groups. Today, it is hard to imagine IML life without «sport over lunch». This is also clear from the following statements from participants:
I often go, even though I don't actually have the time. Concentrating on your breathing during training means that you can return to work refreshed and energised at the end of the session.
The fact that we can attend a BodyArt course here on site is a huge opportunity. The training can be easily integrated into everyday life and I get to know my work colleagues from a completely different perspective.
I really appreciate having the opportunity to do a body art workout right in the office building at lunchtime. It's incredibly good for me and I feel invigorated and fit for the afternoon thanks to the break from work with physical activity. I can really recommend Bodyart.
However, it is a challenge to find suitable premises for sports at Mittelstrasse 43. Fortunately, thanks to the flexibility of all employees and the instructors, it has always been possible to convert a meeting room for this short period of time.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the instructors for their dedicated leadership and all those who contribute to the success of the sports programme with their participatio
