Lewis Land Group hopes to help combat the lockdown blues for its NSW-based teams and at the same raise money and awareness with a new initiative.
The Group has joined STEPtember in a team challenge spanning five of Lewis Land Group’s NSW business units including The Fiddler, Camden Valley Inn, Mercure Rouse Hill, Sovereign Hills and the Group’s corporate HQ.
STEPtember is just one of several initiatives that make up Lewis Land Group’s first mental health and wellbeing program for staff called Mind + Body + Soul.
The program aims to improve the wellbeing of staff, particularly during lockdown, through a range of initiatives including access to online training courses, meditation and yoga, healthy hampers and gifts, virtual team bonding and more.
The STEPtember goal is for each employee to complete 10,000 steps per day, and if the five business units achieve their goal of 30 million steps for the month, The Lewis Foundation will donate $50,000 to STEPtember in support of people living with cerebral palsy.
“With our NSW teams approaching the eleventh week of lockdown, it’s inevitable that spirits will be stretched. And so to help our teams engage in healthy competition, contribute to a great cause and have some fun, we thought a team challenge in aid of charity would be well-received,” said Matthew McCarron, CEO of Lewis Land Group.
“Most of our NSW staff are working from home and some are juggling homeschooling. We’re hoping that, whilst raising money for Australians living with cerebral palsy, STEPtember will encourage our staff – and their families – to get out and about.”
McCarron said the new Mind + Body + Soul program is a reflection of the Group’s focus on the wellbeing of its people, and there are plans to run program throughout lockdown and beyond.
He told Australian Hotelier that this latest lockdown seemed to have affected staff more than previous lockdowns, according to general managers of its venues, so the Mind + Body + Soul program was developed in response.
“On the mind front, we are hosting trivia events to assist with connecting people and engaging with our teams, and we are also encouraging our people to complete a variety of online training courses,” McCarron said.
“For body, STEPtember is playing a big part, and for soul, we are offering online mediation sessions. We also have virtual Monday morning coffees and Friday night drinks with our teams.”