KPMG staff take up the StepJockey challenge
Staff at KPMG’s Canary Wharf headquarters are swapping calculators for a fitness app as the firm launches StepJockey today, to help staff keep fit and improve their general well being.
StepJockey is a new health-focused initiative which is being used to encourage KPMG’s staff to ditch the lifts and use the 369 steps in their Canada Square building. Stairwells at KPMG’s headquarters in Canary Wharf have been given a makeover so that they are ‘rated for calorie burn’ with a journey up and down the entire building accounting for 69 calories. It is anticipated that over time, staff will be able to build up to burning more calories as they climb the stairs as part of their fitness programme.
The app, backed by the Department of Health, allows users to track calorie burn through a special mobile phone app programmed around individual height and weight. By tapping in and out on the smart signs every time staff take the stairs they can calculate exactly how many flights are needed to burn the calories from their early morning latte.
Richard Reid, London Chairman at KPMG who is backing the new initiative said: “For many city workers, finding the time to factor exercise into their working day is incredibly difficult, with most of us heading straight to the lifts and then to our desks for several hours. Inactivity is an increasing issue for the UK economy and the NHS so it is important that we all do as much exercise as we can to reduce the risk of preventable illness and lead longer, healthier lives. Stair climbing is officially classed as a ‘vigorous exercise’ and burns more calories per minute than jogging and is a very simple way to build exercise into your working day. I hope that as many of our staff as possible get involved.”
StepJockey founder, Helen Nuki, said: "We are delighted KPMG is pioneering StepJockey in Canary Wharf. As a large employer, KPMG understands the importance of corporate wellness and like StepJockey, they see the world as gym and are labelling it as such. Through small steps, they are transforming the workplace for everyone."
The StepJockey app will monitor weight, strengthen heart, tone legs, reduce stress levels and protect against stroke and is already a feature in several other London buildings (including the Lloyds building and City Hall. KPMG is the first company in Canary Wharf to sign up for the initiative and has on average 3250 people in the Canada Square office on any day.
