The following are some of the most frequently asked questions to help you understand the program.
- What are the program requirements?
- Does each player need an email address?
- Is my company too small?
- What about employee privacy?
- Can I get extra materials?
- Does this require any special software?
- Should my company offer an incentive?
- What type of incentives could be offered to employees to join the healthy competition?
- If I choose to offer incentives to my employees, how should I present them?
- What do you do when you have people who want to join a team but can’t find one to join?
- How can I get my company started with Take Steps?
- How should I notify my employees of the Take Steps Competition?
- How is the ranking calculated for a healthy competition?
- What kind of ongoing activities can we provide? Recipes, weight-loss tips, etc. Do you have someone who can provide these to us?
- Is there a step-by-step process for setting up a Healthy Competition?
- Who should I call for a start-up kit?
- What should I do if not everyone has access to a computer or email?
- What if my group signs up during the promotional period and we have 150 participants?
- Because this is a free program, I am assuming that you do not consider the employer kit as proprietary?
- Can I Resend Invites to join a Healthy Competition?
- How do I view Healthy Competition Results?
What are the program requirements?
The program is offered FREE and is designed to be web-based so it does require internet access and an individual email account.
Does each player need an email address?
Yes. Each user needs to have an individual email account. The users email account is part of the authentication process to provide them access to their own personalized web page where they track their steps, servings and progress. It is also a key part of how we identify them and allow them to start or join a Healthy Competition(s).
Although web access can be through a shared computer, the program can't be used without each user having an individual email account. Email is how users are invited to participate and get registered to access the Individual and Healthy Competition features. We require each user to have an individual email account to protect their personal information, which is a key part of the program.
Some organizations have opted to put a computer in their break room for tracking purposes, but this still requires each user to have an individual email account. Other organizations have elected to launch the program at their sites where the majority of the staff is equipped with email.
NOTE: The email account doesn't have to be through work, it can be a personal email account. You may have to limit your competition to those users who do have email. Unfortunately this excludes users without email, an alternative is to have them track there progress and incorporate it into the final standings manually.
Is my company too small?
Every company can benefit from the Take Steps Healthy Competition. If the company is too small to set up a league (multiple teams), they can set up a single team and challenge themselves to reach a healthy goal together.
What about employee privacy?
The Take Steps Healthy Competition is a private, anonymous program. Individual employee numbers will only be viewable by the employee on his or her private Take Steps Web page.
Can I get extra materials?
Most materials found in your kit can be downloaded from our Take Steps Resources as PDF files.
Does this require any special software?
Our program is completely Web based, so you won’t need anything more than a Web browser and email. If you plan to download materials, you will need Adobe Acrobat. If it’s not already installed, you can download it free at www.adobe.com.
Should my company offer an incentive?
”Bragging rights” are the very best incentive. However, you may want to consider an incentive, depending on the atmosphere of your office. For example, if your employees are spread out over many locations, bragging rights may be less effective.
What type of incentives could be offered to employees to join the healthy competition?
Incentives are not provided by Take Steps; this is an internal company decision. Some companies have chosen to offer a paid day off, others are providing gift certificates to a sporting good store, yet others are simply giving name recognition. Be creative!
If I choose to offer incentives to my employees, how should I present them?
You could have a public closing ceremony to present the awards. This would generate enthusiasm and motivate team players.
What do you do when you have people who want to join a team but can’t find one to join?
We suggest that you designate one team as a “pick-up” team and have the captain generate a sign-up sheet. You could also consider sending out a mass email inviting all interested candidates to contact a team captain. You may also choose to have the League Leader generate a list of all candidates and divide them into teams.
(Example: A company went with the approach of dividing the company into four divisions and assigned everyone a team).
How can I get my company started with Take Steps?
Getting started is easy! You will need to fulfill two requests:
- Order a start-up kit
- Sign up as a registered user
You will now have full access to our healthy competition. Start your league or team today!
How should I notify my employees of the Take Steps Competition?
The answer to this will vary from group to group. Since this is a web-based program. The most effective way to notify your employees is via email. Once you (League Leader) start a league, you will choose your Team Captains. The Team Captains will then send out electronic invitations. Communication is effortless at this point; the program is designed to walk you through the process. You may want to consider having a “kick-off” event to generate employee excitement.
How is the ranking calculated for a healthy competition?
The competition allows teams to be ranked in two ways. As an average of the:
- Teams, percent to goal for (steps and servings)
- Teams, percent of improvement for (steps and servings)
You choose how your competition will be scored. The competition uses a "percentage-based" scoring system, which allows teams of various sizes to compete fairly against each other.
What kind of ongoing activities can we provide? Recipes, weight-loss tips, etc. Do you have someone who can provide these to us?
The site is not only for tracking steps and servings, it is also a valuable resource to show you lots of easy ways to reach your fitness and nutrition goals - including healthy recipes and everyday activities that burn calories. You’ll also have access to our healthy encyclopedia and a number of online fitness and nutrition tools.
Is there a step-by-step process for setting up a Healthy Competition?
Please refer to the “About Take Steps” section for more detailed information on Take Steps and the Healthy Competition option including how it works and types of play.
Who should I call for a start-up kit?
The kits can only be ordered online. On the Employers page there is a link towards the bottom of the page to order the kits. This is the only method for requesting kits for fulfillment purposes.
What should I do if not everyone has access to a computer or email?
Take Steps is designed to be a computer-based program, therefore, participants will need to have access to a computer and email, either at home or at work. Accommodations will have to be made internally. Some companies have opted to put a computer in their break room for tracking purposes. Other companies have elected to launch the program at their corporate sites where the majority of the staff is equipped.
What if my group signs up during the promotional period and we have 150 participants?
Univera will provide you with the first 100 pedometers; the company or the individual will be responsible for suppling the additional 50 pedometers.
Because this is a free program, I am assuming that you do not consider the employer kit as proprietary?
That is correct, the employer kit is not proprietary, and it's components are available for download to users of the program.
Can I Resend Invites to join a Healthy Competition?
Yes. Should a user delete the original invite or not receive it, you can simply resend their invite.
To Resend a Team Captain invite.
• Go to the Healthy Competition page
• Select your League from the "View My League" dropdown menu
• Then under your League Tools select "Add a Team"
• Enter the email address of the person you want to re-invite to be a team captain, and click "Add Team"
• The system will recognize the user is being re-invited and resend the invitation.
To Resend a Team Member invite.
• Go to the Healthy Competition page
• Select your Team from the "View My Team" dropdown menu
• Then under your Captains Tools select "Add More People"
• Enter the email address of the person you want to re-invite to be a team member, and click "Add More People"
• The system will recognize the user is being re-invited and resend the invitation.
How do I view Healthy Competition Results?
You can view Healthy Competition Results in several ways
Under your "League Tools" select the League Ranking button, which launches a new window with your Healthy Competition results. This allows you to view results for each week of the competition.
Team Captains and League Leaders can also view results by using the "View Team Input" (Team Captains) or "Edit Team Input" (League Leaders) buttons. Then click on the "Export to Excel" button to save the information you select to an Excel File.