TD SYNNEX, a global leader in technology distribution and solutions aggregation, is actively employing innovative strategies to bridge geographical divides and foster a strong sense of community among its expansive workforce. With over 23,000 employees operating across more than 50 countries and spanning numerous time zones, the challenge of maintaining consistent connection and engagement is a significant undertaking. To address this, the company’s Global Wellbeing Team has integrated Reward Gateway | Edenred’s wellbeing challenge app into its employee engagement initiatives, with a particular focus on physical challenges that encourage global participation and interaction.
"Our people especially love the physical challenges," stated Shelby Hauge, Global Wellbeing Manager at TD SYNNEX. "They love to use the in-app chat, sharing pictures and accomplishments with people all over the world." This sentiment underscores the app’s effectiveness in transforming what could be a logistical hurdle into an opportunity for shared experience and camaraderie. The ability for employees to connect, share their progress, and celebrate achievements in real-time, irrespective of their physical location, is a key driver of engagement. This digital bridge not only promotes physical health but also cultivates a sense of belonging and mutual support within the vast TD SYNNEX network.
The success of TD SYNNEX’s wellbeing challenges is not accidental; it is the result of a carefully considered strategy that emphasizes inclusivity, leadership involvement, and a robust network of internal advocates. When asked about the strategies employed to drive participation and engagement, the TD SYNNEX team shared five critical pieces of advice, offering valuable insights for organizations aiming to implement similar initiatives.
Top Tips for Running a Successful Workplace Wellbeing Challenge
The implementation of a successful workplace wellbeing challenge requires a multifaceted approach, blending strategic planning with a deep understanding of employee needs and motivations. TD SYNNEX’s experience highlights several key pillars that contribute to robust engagement and positive outcomes.
1. Leadership Visibility: Setting the Tone from the Top
A cornerstone of TD SYNNEX’s engagement strategy is the active involvement of its leadership team. The company recognizes that visible support from senior management significantly amplifies the importance and appeal of wellbeing initiatives. Leadership announcements regarding challenges are often delivered through direct text or video messages, ensuring that employees see and hear directly from the individuals guiding the organization.
The presence of leadership faces and names associated with these challenges lends them considerable weight and value. This direct connection from leadership not only validates the importance of wellbeing but also humanizes the initiative, making employees feel more personally invested. Research consistently shows that when leadership champions employee wellbeing, it fosters a more positive and supportive organizational culture. A study by the American Psychological Association found that employees with supportive supervisors reported higher levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of stress. By embedding leadership into the challenge narrative, TD SYNNEX effectively signals that employee health and connection are strategic priorities, not merely peripheral programs.
2. Building a Network of Wellbeing Champions
To ensure that wellbeing initiatives resonate across diverse geographical and cultural landscapes, TD SYNNEX has established a formidable network of over 100 Wellbeing Champions globally. These individuals serve as crucial local ambassadors, providing invaluable regional feedback and spearheading the promotion of new initiatives within their respective teams and in local languages.
This distributed model offers a dual benefit. For the Global Wellbeing Team, it provides access to critical on-the-ground insights, allowing them to tailor challenges and communications to specific regional contexts and cultural nuances. This localized approach is essential for overcoming potential communication barriers and ensuring that initiatives are relevant and accessible to all employees. Simultaneously, the Wellbeing Champions themselves become active participants in a community that aligns with their personal interests in health and wellness. This not only empowers them but also fosters a sense of shared ownership and responsibility for driving positive change within the organization. The presence of these champions helps to create a grassroots movement that complements top-down leadership support, ensuring sustained engagement and impact.
3. Ensuring Inclusivity: Adapting to Diverse Needs and Activities
A key factor in the widespread adoption of TD SYNNEX’s wellbeing challenges is their commitment to inclusivity, ensuring that all employees, regardless of their preferred method of physical activity, can participate. The team actively communicates that participants have flexibility in how they track their progress.
Employees can utilize traditional steps captured by their wearable devices, a common and straightforward method. However, for those who engage in different forms of physical activity, the platform offers an activity converter. This feature allows participants to translate a wide array of exercises – such as cycling, swimming, or yoga – into equivalent step counts. This adaptive approach is critical for a global workforce that likely engages in a diverse range of physical pursuits. It removes potential barriers for individuals who may not use step-tracking devices or whose primary fitness activities are not step-based. By acknowledging and accommodating these variations, TD SYNNEX ensures that the challenges are accessible and equitable for everyone, fostering a more inclusive environment where all employees feel encouraged to participate and contribute to their collective wellbeing goals.
4. Utilizing Challenges as a Training and Reinforcement Tool
Beyond promoting physical health, TD SYNNEX has ingeniously integrated its wellbeing challenges into its broader organizational development strategy, specifically for reinforcing new company values. As the company prepared to launch its new values in 2025, the Global Wellbeing Team leveraged a pre-designed template from Reward Gateway | Edenred to create a "Climb to the Top" challenge.
This innovative approach allows participants to symbolically ascend a virtual mountain as they accumulate activity. Along the journey, elements of the new company values are presented at various milestones. This integration provides employees with repeated exposure to and reinforcement of the core values in a dynamic, engaging, and collaborative context. Instead of relying solely on traditional training methods, TD SYNNEX embeds learning into an activity that employees find enjoyable and rewarding. This strategy not only promotes physical wellbeing but also serves as a powerful, ongoing training tool, embedding organizational culture and strategic objectives into the daily lives of employees in a fun and memorable way. This cross-functional integration demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how to leverage employee engagement platforms for multiple strategic benefits.
5. The Power of Prizes: Motivating Participation and Fun
To further enhance motivation and inject an element of fun into their wellbeing initiatives, TD SYNNEX strategically employs rewards and prizes. These incentives serve to acknowledge effort, celebrate achievements, and add an extra layer of excitement to the challenges.
The team utilizes a variety of prize structures, including raffles and awards for top-performing teams. The prize offerings are thoughtfully curated to align with the nature and focus of each challenge. Examples include practical items like blankets, kitchen kits, and power banks, alongside more wellness-oriented gifts such as journals or meditation cards. This diverse selection ensures that prizes are relevant and appealing to a broad range of employees. The introduction of tangible rewards acts as a powerful extrinsic motivator, complementing the intrinsic satisfaction derived from participating in wellbeing activities. By making the challenges fun and rewarding, TD SYNNEX not only encourages higher participation rates but also fosters a positive association with wellbeing initiatives, making them a highly anticipated part of the employee experience.
The Growing Importance of Employee Wellbeing
The strategic investment by companies like TD SYNNEX in employee wellbeing programs is not merely a trend; it is a response to a fundamental shift in employee expectations and a growing body of evidence demonstrating the tangible benefits of a healthy workforce. Research consistently highlights the significant impact of wellbeing on employee retention, productivity, and overall organizational success.
A compelling statistic underscores this shift: in a study conducted by Reward Gateway, it was found that a substantial 58% of employees would prefer a company that actively cares about their wellbeing over a 10% salary increase. This finding suggests that beyond compensation, the perceived commitment of an employer to their employees’ health and happiness is a critical factor in talent attraction and retention. In today’s competitive talent market, organizations that prioritize wellbeing are more likely to cultivate a loyal, engaged, and motivated workforce.
The implications of this trend are profound. Companies that fail to invest in comprehensive wellbeing strategies risk falling behind in their ability to attract and retain top talent. Furthermore, a workforce experiencing burnout or poor health is less productive, more prone to absenteeism, and can negatively impact overall morale. Conversely, organizations that foster a culture of wellbeing often experience lower healthcare costs, reduced employee turnover, and enhanced innovation and creativity.
The TD SYNNEX case study, utilizing the Reward Gateway | Edenred wellbeing challenge app, exemplifies a proactive and effective approach to cultivating a thriving global workforce. By combining visible leadership support, a robust network of internal champions, inclusive program design, strategic integration with company values, and motivating incentives, TD SYNNEX is not only addressing the logistical challenges of a dispersed workforce but also building a stronger, more connected, and healthier organization.
As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of the modern workplace, the importance of prioritizing employee wellbeing will only continue to grow. Initiatives like those championed by TD SYNNEX serve as a valuable blueprint for how companies can foster a supportive and engaging environment where employees can flourish, both personally and professionally, ultimately contributing to the sustained success of the organization. The future of work is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of its people, and TD SYNNEX is demonstrating a forward-thinking commitment to this critical principle.
