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Five online tools for keeping in touch with your team

Taking part in the Step Count Challenge is a great way of motivating yourself to move more, but did you know that it’s also a good excuse for a chat with your colleagues?

Published:21/04/2021

Whether you’re a team captain looking for ways to keep the encouraging messages flowing, or you’re just looking for a new way of sharing your favourite walking routes with your team, we’ve rounded up five of the best online tools for keeping in touch with your team.

Slack

A Paths for All favourite, Slack is an instant messaging platform for workplaces which allows you to send messages and share photos with the rest of your team. You can create “Channels” to discuss different topics or to communicate with different groups of people, and you can also send direct messages to your colleagues. You can download Slack onto your computer, and there’s also an app for mobiles, making it really easy to keep up with what’s going on. Read more and try it out for free over on the Slack website.

Strava Clubs

Strava is an online tool which you can use to track and record a range of activities, from morning runs to evening walks – and you can synchronise your Strava account with your Step Count account too! Strava also has a “Clubs” feature, which you can access by logging in to your Strava account on a computer. You can set up a club for your workplace, and invite colleagues who also use Strava to join, or you can search for and join other local clubs. Find out more on the Strava website.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging apps in the UK, and is also one of the most secure, with end-to-end message encryption ensuring that your messages can only be read by the people they’re intended for. You can use WhatsApp to set up a group chat for your Step Count Challenge team, and share photos, organise group video calls or even just to send an encouraging message or two. You can learn more and download the app on the WhatsApp website. If you’re looking for a more secure alternative to WhatsApp, check out the Signal instant messaging app instead.

Microsoft Teams

You’ve probably been invited to a Teams meeting or two over the last year, but did you know that you can also use Teams to chat and share photos with your colleagues? Simply open the Teams app, click on the “Teams” icon on the left, and you’ll be able to create a group for your Step Count Challenge team. You could also use Teams to create an informal walking group for your workplace, or even add other Step Count Challenge teams too. Find out more on the Microsoft Teams website.

 

MapMyWalk

MapMyWalk allows you to record, save and share your favourite walking routes with the rest of your team. There’s an app version for mobiles, and a website too, and you can also search for walking routes recorded and shared by other people if you’re a bit fed up with your usual lunchtime route. It’s really easy to share your own walking routes with other people through MapMyWalk, so if you’ve discovered a new route or found a lovely new view, it’s ideal for sharing your walk with your Step Count team. Check out the MapMyWalk website for more information.

Do you have a favourite online tool which you use to keep in touch with your Step Count team? Let us know at walkatwork@pathsforall.org.uk.