Motivated All Year Round

Sports for Employee Integration and Motivation

Agrii Poland, a leader in the agricultural industry, has been organizing sports challenges in collaboration with Activy since 2021. In 2024, the company adopted a new strategy by dividing the challenges into two editions: spring and autumn, each lasting 1.5 months. This approach helped employees shake off the winter blues and maintain their fitness habits post-summer.

The Key to Year-Round Engagement

The “spring + autumn” model proved to be pivotal in sustaining employee motivation throughout the year. The spring edition served as a natural catalyst for movement after the winter months, when motivation to exercise tends to be low.

Meanwhile, the autumn edition encouraged participants to stay active during the tougher months when shorter days often dampen enthusiasm for physical activity.

As Kamila Dec, the challenge coordinator at Agrii, observed, adding activities that could be done regardless of weather—like home workouts, gym sessions, or swimming—was essential for the autumn edition's success. This eliminated weather-related excuses and enabled everyone to participate actively.

One participant shared:

The challenge motivated me to stay active every day. Even on days when I had to take care of my kids or it was raining, I found the motivation to work out at home just to keep earning points for consistency!‍‍

Team Integration Through Randomized Teams
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Agrii opted for team challenges, where 5-person teams were randomly assigned by the coordinator—a winning idea! This setup encouraged employees to collaborate with colleagues they might not interact with regularly.

It was a fantastic opportunity to bring together employees from across Poland who don’t often get the chance to meet. The team challenges sparked conversations and motivation, even during casual coffee breaks in the office.
- said Kamila, Coordinator of the challenge.

Randomizing teams also avoided scenarios where the most active employees always formed the same groups, which could leave less active participants feeling excluded. This approach is a great inspiration for smaller companies where participant numbers don’t allow for large teams.

Competition: The Ultimate Motivator
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Team competition became one of the biggest drivers of engagement during the challenge. Employees felt accountable to their teams, which boosted their consistency and commitment.

As Kamila highlighted, the internal support and shared motivation within teams were invaluable:‍

I often saw team members encouraging each other to do a little extra activity. Even those who were less active at first started getting more involved after seeing their teammates' support.
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Key Takeaways and Inspiration from Kamila Dec:
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Well-planned sports challenges can effectively integrate teams, foster healthy habits, and engage employees all year long.

The "spring + autumn" model and randomized team approach not only successfully integrate teams but also serve as inspiration for companies looking to boost employee participation in similar initiatives.