Organisational support development and strategies

The Lendlease Head of Workplace Wellbeing (DCY) volunteered as the study’s workplace champion. His normal job role entailed involvement in several workplace health initiatives, and providing workplace health-related presentations to the wider organisation. Consequently, he was ideally suited to deliver the intervention in a manner that was sensitive and relevant to the organisation’s needs and sustainable within the organisation. The champion was given no further health promotion training prior to the study. The workplace champion was responsible for recruitment, delivery of the intervention, distribution and collection of equipment, and communications with the participants regarding their study participation. The researcher involvement included technology support with the activity tracker and evaluating the intervention.

The initial discussions between the research team and the champion were in regards to the feasibility of the study and the resources required. The champion then gained senior management support for the study through discussions with the CEO and other senior executives. Once this approval was attained, the research team provided the champion with a range of strategies that have been successfully implemented as part of the broader Stand Up Australia program of research [29]. The champion then chose which strategies were deemed to be suitable for the organisation (see Table 1).

Intervention strategies employed during the first three months of the study

^asent in week 1 for location B; ^bsent in week 4 for location B; ^cstep count classifications from Tudor-Locke 2004 [61]; ^dlocation A only

The first implemented strategy was an information booklet emailed in week 1 by the champion to all participating staff. The booklet contained background information on sitting and health implications, an introduction to the Stand Up Lendlease program, and recommendations and tips to ‘Stand Up, Sit Less and Move More’. The information booklet was sent out with an introductory email that had a preliminary summary of the averaged activity monitor data from the baseline assessment (based on the first 62 completed and processed assessments; see further details below) and additional web links about the health effects of prolonged sitting.

The next strategy involved five fortnightly emails developed in a partnership between the research team and the champion, and sent to participants by the champion (Table 1). Based on the Stand Up Australia email template [30], the emails were modified by the champion to include his chosen activity-promoting tips, comments from participants or managers, images of participants taking part in the ‘Stand Up, Sit Less, Move More’ message and the organisation’s branding (see Additional file 2). Ideas for tips came from the Heart Foundation of Australia’s tip sheet [31], and included tips to have standing and walking meetings (see Table 1).

To visibly demonstrate support for the program and its messages, senior executives took part in the baseline assessment and received the five emails. Their participation in the study was communicated to participants by the champion. During the 12-month intervention period the champion also presented at least 10 workplace presentations as part of his Workplace Wellbeing role and continued to have informal discussions with managers about their team’s sedentary work practices. Individual baseline, three- and 12-month feedback from the activity monitor assessments was also emailed to participants by the research team.