I am asking my boss to sponsor this...how does it sound? Any changes?

Question

I'm asking my boss to do this...does this sound good?
I was thinking of starting an "Office Stair Climb" contest. A lot of people take the elevator in the office and the benefits of taking the stairs far outweighs the elevator. Taking the stairs can burn a couple hundred calories a week and make for a more fit and productive staff. The contest that I had in mind would look something like this.... The employee would track how many times they climb the stairs and then track it on a poster in the kitchen. The goals would consist of something like the Washington Monument, then the Sears Tower, then Mount Washington, etc. I'm sure that not everyone will want to do it...but I think that it could spark some good competetion and level of fitness in the office.

The one caveat to this contest would be prizes awarded to the employee once you reach a certain height level. Richard would you consider sponsoring something like this? Prizes could consist of a gift cards, possibly to a restaurant, REI, or smoothie king; or even a couple hours of vacation time. It could look something like this:

Washington Monument -- 555 feet -- take the stairs 19 times -- $5 gift card
Sears Tower -- 1454 feet -- take the stairs 49 times -- $10 gift card
Mount Washington -- 6288 feet -- take the stairs 210 times -- $20 gift card
Mt. Rainer -- 14,410 feet -- take the stairs 481 times -- $40 gift card
Mt. Everest -- 29, 035 feet -- take the stairs 968 times -- $50 gift card

Answer 1

It sounds like a great idea. It could get people more active in your building.

Another bonus to it, it gets people familiar with the stairs. This will be beneficial if there is ever an emergency and people cannot take the elevators.

There are a few downsides I can see to it. One, it is a discriminatory contest. People with certain disabilities would not be able to participate. If you can find someway to allow them an alternate way to play then it would be better. I can just imagine a lawsuit because 99 people at your workplace got giftcards but the one person in the wheelchair was not even allowed to be considered.

Next up, you may also want to consider potential liabilities. How much legal liability would the company have if someone tripped while using the stairs under this program? What about a person who has a heart attack while using the stairs? Is there a way to get that person swift medical response? The company could be seen as a factor contributing to the heart attack. What about people with medical conditions that prevent them from working out? Do you have a backup plan for them?

How do you plan to measure the amount of stair climbing? There will always be some person who will find a way to cheat. Are you and the office willing to let a few cheaters slide in order to prevent the whole thing from being too cumbersome?

So far, these are my only observations. You may want to come up with replies to these questions in case someone asks them to you while you are pitching this idea.