Employees of Access Bank Ghana have recorded over 100 million active steps under its ‘Walkathon 2023’ challenge, an equivalence of 109,651km, as part of activities during the annual ‘Employee Wellness’ Month.
The Wellness month, which is aimed at building healthy lifestyles and relationships among employees while promoting staff productivity, was launched in 2010 as part of Access Bank’s workplace intervention programs to maintain a safe and healthy work environment. The highlight of the month-long activities was a nationwide health walk that took place on Saturday June 17, 2023, across all the locations where the Bank operates.
Led by the Managing Director of the Bank, Olumide Olatunji and the Bank’s management team, the walk brought together about 800 staff for a six-kilometer walk held concurrently across all 10 regional locations including Kumasi, Tamale, Ho, Takoradi, and Wa among others and Accra, which registered the highest turnout.
The walk in Accra commenced at the Bank’s Head Office opposite the Accra sports stadium and ended at the same premises after over two hours walk and aerobics through the principal streets in Accra. Employees and their families who participated in the walk were also treated to sports competitions and fitness activities such as archery, paint ball, and table tennis among others.
Speaking on the Wellness month, the Head of Human Resources at Access Bank Ghana, Nana Adu Kyeremateng said that a healthy workforce is a productive one, and that the recent pandemic has highlighted the importance of mental health support and workplace wellness initiatives for employees across the globe.
According to him, Access Bank as an employer of choice, has prioritized occupational health issues by providing a concierge of interventions that will make employees feel supported, motivated, and empowered to contribute their best at work.
Mr. Kyeremateng concluded by saying: “We are excited by the turn out of our staff across the country today. Their presence and participation in the month-long activities means a lot for the work we are doing to build a truly sustainable organization”.
Other activities that were lined up during the Access Bank Wellness month included webinars from renowned practitioners and lifestyle coaches, health checks, no elevator day, daily walk goals using a mobile fitness app and various competitions. In partnership with Decathlon, staff who excelled in the walk challenge received amazing rewards.