- Apr
- 18
- 2018
Walk to Dublin: Common questions answered here
Info on syncing, steps, guidelines and more…
And they’re off…more than 1600 teams are heading to Ireland as we kicked off this year’s system wide step challenge, Walk to Dublin on April 16. Remember, it’s NOT a race, it’s a well-being journey! Your team’s challenge is to take enough steps to reach Dublin, and for those teams of 10 who make it, you’ll all be entered into the grand prize raffle to win a trip to the Emerald Isle.
You and your team don’t have to stop stepping once you reach Dublin, you know! The challenge isn’t over until June 10, so keep on stepping to see how many steps your team can accrue in the 8-week timeframe.
Employee Wellness has been fielding a range of questions as we get to the end of Week 1. Here’s a round-up of the most common questions:
1. People are getting so many steps! What’s the story? The challenge is programmed to only accept a maximum of 30,000 steps per person/per day. Many of your co-workers are on their feet all day – whether on the floors, a warehouse, out in the field – and accumulate a high volume of steps. Optimally, a minimum of about 7K steps by each person, each day, will get your team to Dublin by June 10.
2. Does the challenge leaderboard reflect live updates of step totals? The leaderboard shows a cumulative tally of an individual’s step count. In order to capture your steps, you can: a) re-download the most up-to-date Virgin Pulse mobile app on your phone; b) be sure you check-in with the app a few times a day and sync your steps. When you sync the following day, it will pick up your steps from the day prior and show them in your Step Stats.
3. I’m having problems syncing my steps, what should I do? Try these tips to troubleshoot step-syncing: a) make sure your Max Buzz battery is charged; b) check that you have the latest version of the Virgin Pulse app in your app store; c) go to Devices & Apps under your profile, click on My Connected Devices & Apps. Disconnect and then reconnect by using the SET UP A MAX BUZZ button; d) on the app, drag down the HOME screen to sync and capture your steps; OR e) log-off and log back in (make sure you have your password).
4. When I open Northwell.edu/myWellness using Google Chrome I get a security message. What does that mean? We are aware of the situation and are working with Virgin Pulse to resolve this. You can proceed despite seeing the security message, or switch to Internet Explorer, which is not displaying that screen.
5. Can I change teams now that the challenge is underway? No. If you use the LEAVE THIS CHALLENGE button in your team, you will NOT BE ABLE TO REJOIN the challenge.
6. Who is eligible to be entered into the raffle for the grand prize drawing for the trip to Ireland? Only teams of 10 who achieve the total step count and reach Dublin, will be entered into the grand prize raffle drawing.
7. If we reach Dublin before the challenge ends, can we still accumulate steps until the challenge end date of June 10? Yes. See how your step count grows as you create new goals for yourself. Think about how many steps a day you were taking at the beginning of Walk to Dublin, and how many you do now. What small changes did you make to set your goals?
8. Ever misplace your activity tracker, forget to wear it for a day or two, or your battery runs out mid-day? We know that life happens and it happens to all of us. You do have the opportunity to make up for some missed days with step credits.
Here’s how it works:
A. The amount of steps per credit is your average step count over the previous two weeks; you may use one step credit per day of lost steps.
B. You may apply step credits only to days within the previous 2-week time frame (meaning, you can’t apply step credits to days you missed months back).
- Log into the Virgin Pulse member website.
- Locate the “My Steps” chart on your home page.
- You’ll be re-directed to the “Missing Steps?” page, where in the lower, right corner of the page you’ll be able to see your step average that will be applied next to “Your Average Validated Steps for the Past Fourteen Days”.
For technical support, contact the Customer Call Center for myWellness/Virgin Pulse at 1-877-785-3222. You can also use the CHAT support from your desktop (Northwell.edu/myWellness), or reach out to myWellness@northwell.edu for other questions. The Walk to Dublin Participant Guide is available under Useful Links on the Employee Wellness intranet home page.
I have a question. The rules state “Only teams of 10 who achieve the total step count and reach Dublin, will be entered into the grand prize raffle drawing.” What happens if we have a team of 10 but less than 10 people sync their steps? If we reach Dublin on our own, will we be disqualified because everyone didn’t participate?
Thanks!
Good afternoon, Patricia,
As long as the team of 10 achieves the total step requirement to reach Dublin, then yes, the entire team is entered into the raffle and each team member is eligible to win whether they achieved lots of steps per day or not.
Best,
Dina
There are members who have not accepted or declined the invite which is holding up the option to invite others who want to participate. How can we erase those who have not accepted as yet which will free up slots for those who are ready to join nowwww?
Thanks
Hi Karen, Are you team captain? If so, on your team roster, you should be able to see a plus/minus sign on the invitees image (the circle) and you can use the minus sign to remove those who did not accept the invitation. Then follow the same process you followed at the start of registration, to invite new members to join. If you still have questions, feel free to use the CHAT support or call the customer support line at 1-877-785-3222.
Dina
I never found a team to join 🙁
Hi Leslie, if you scroll through the CHAT feature in the Walk to Dublin challenge, you may still find teams posting there who need a member. Have you been following Northwell Life Facebook page? Last night, I saw a few posts for a few teams looking for another walker. It’s not too late to join, so don’t give up:)
Dina
hello there if you are still looking for a team you can join team “ambulateme”
Hi Julie, If you’re still looking for teammates, have you tried posting on Northwell Life Facebook? There is also a CHAT feature for the challenge on the Virgin Pulse app. You may find a few people there looking for a team.
Best,
Dina
One of my team members is manually entering his steps but they are not being totaled into the Team’s steps? What’s the problem? Thank you!
Hi Sadia, please note that only steps that are recorded by a validated tracker, will count in the challenge. You are not able to manually enter steps. For a complete listing of validated trackers, please see the Participant Guide. You can go to the Intranet>I Need To>Learn about Wellness>Useful Links>Participant Guide
If you have any other questions, from myWellness desktop version, use the CHAT Support, or for tech support, you can call 1-877-785-3222.
Best,
Dina
Hello! I know it is one week already, can I still join and how do I go about doing it?
Hi Viji, you can still join the challenge, search for a team that has openings or form your own team. Teams of 10 who reach Dublin are eligible for the grand prize raffle. If you haven’t already joined myWellness, you must create an account at Northwell.edu/myWellness. And you can join a team via your desktop, or the Virgin Pulse mobile app on your personal mobile device. You will also need an activity tracker, such as a FitBit, Max Buzz or you can set up your phone to track your steps. More information is available on the Intranet>I Need to> Learn… Read more »
If we join the challenge do our steps still count towards reward points?
Hello Steve, yes, your steps count toward myRecognition points throughout the challenge. You can see your points accrue (see the LEVELS bar at the top of your desktop version, or on the home screen of your app at the bottom, PROGRAM DETAILS) by taking part in the challenge as well as doing other activities in the app, such as checking your daily cards and signing up for the nutrition guide. Take a few minutes to view the many PROGRAMS you can access via myWellness.
Best,
Dina