A step challenge is an exciting and engaging way to promote employee health and boost workplace wellness. It encourages physical activity, improves mental health, and fosters a sense of camaraderie through friendly competition.
With GoJoe’s platform, organising an employee step challenge becomes seamless, providing a fun, impactful, and motivating experience that supports employee wellness programs.
It’s also much more than a step challenge, with weighted points across over 50 activities meaning whether you’re tracking steps or getting stuck into other workouts like weights or hand cycling, you can compete with and against your colleagues.
Whether you are aiming to boost employee engagement, enhance team bonding, or support a healthy lifestyle, an activity challenge can be a great addition to your workplace wellness program.
Why Run A Step Challenge At Work?
Step challenges offer numerous benefits for both employees and the organisation, including:
Boosting physical health: Encouraging regular movement reduces the risk of chronic conditions like high blood pressure, improves cognitive function, and helps control disease. Regular participation in a workplace walking challenge can lead to healthier, more active employees. A study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health found that workplace physical activity programs, including walking challenges, significantly improved physical health and reduced obesity-related risks (Donnelly et al., 2013).
Mental health benefits: Encouraging physical activity through step challenges can reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, promoting a healthier work environment. The BMC Psychiatry study, the "Happy Feet" study, demonstrated that a 100-day, 10,000-step challenge improved mental health, reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (BMC Psychiatry, 2017).
Increased employee engagement: A successful wellness program builds morale and improves job satisfaction by giving employees a sense of achievement and belonging. When employees participate in a team step challenge, they contribute to team dynamics, making the workplace a more connected, positive place to work. According to a study in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, worksite wellness programs, including step challenges, are linked to improved employee engagement and job satisfaction (Goetzel et al., 2017).
Better job performance: Healthy employees are more likely to have higher energy levels, which translates to improved productivity and better job performance. This also supports employee well-being, which is a core pillar of company culture. Research in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that physical activity not only improves health but also boosts productivity and reduces absenteeism (Warburton et al., 2017).
Steps To Set Up An Employee Step Challenge
1. Define Your Goals
What do you want to achieve with this challenge? Is it to motivate employees, boost physical health, or improve team bonding? GoJoe helps set clear goals that align with your workplace wellness objectives, whether that's increasing employee participation or encouraging healthy habits.
2. Set the Rules
Establish simple and effective rules that encourage team cooperation and friendly competition. Decide on the length (typically 2-4 weeks) and format (e.g., total distance or team average). You can organize the challenge as a team challenge, where participants combine their activities to compete and then rank by either total or team average.
3. Choose a Tracking Method
GoJoe’s platform makes it easy to track steps via fitness trackers or smartphones, keeping everything synced automatically.
Ensure the challenge is accessible for all employees, including those with physical limitations. Consider offering different challenge levels and allowing alternative activities like swimming or cycling to count toward step totals. With GoJoe, you can log over 50 different activities such as running, weights and hiking, which automatically convert into points and so everyone can take part regardless of sport preference or ability.
6. Encourage Engagement
Keep motivation high with weekly updates, team leaderboards, and fun activities such as walking meetings or lunchtime walks.
Table: Step Challenge Setup
Table 1
Step
Details
Challenge Type
Choose between individual or team challenges.
Goal
Set the format and decide on total distance/points or team average.
Tracking Method
GoJoe allow users to log activity via syncing wearables, using the in-app GPS tracker or adding manually.
Rewards
Offer rewards like GJoe’s integrated gift cards, extra vacation days, or company swag.
Inclusivity
Adapt the challenge to accommodate employees with varying fitness levels and activities.
Motivation
Keep employees engaged with regular updates, team leaderboards, and weekly check-ins.
Tips for Running a Successful Step Challenge
Communicate the Benefits: Make sure employees understand the health benefits of participating in the step challenge, such as improved physical health, boosted morale, and enhanced employee engagement.
Create Healthy Competition: Encourage friendly rivalry by dividing employees into teams and offering rewards for team challenges. A little healthy competition can go a long way in increasing participation and boosting employee satisfaction.
Offer a Variety of Rewards: Provide diverse rewards such as monetary prizes, company swag, gift cards, or extra time off to ensure your employees stay motivated throughout the challenge.
Incorporate Social Elements: Make the challenge more interactive by encouraging employees to share their step count or progress on your company intranet or social media. This boosts team bonding and fosters a supportive community.
Ensure Flexibility: Not all employees can meet the same step goals. Make adjustments to the goals and encourage participants to set personal goals based on their fitness levels.
Why Choose GoJoe for Your Step Challenge?
GoJoe’s platform simplifies the process of organising and running full inclusive step challenges at work. With features like weighted points across 50 activities, multiple ways to track any activity, customizable reward systems, team leaderboards, and integration with popular fitness devices, GoJoe helps organizations engage employees and support their wellness programs. Our platform promotes healthy habits, team dynamics, and positive company culture, making it easy to run a successful wellness program that benefits everyone.
Ready to Get Started?
Transform your workplace health and employee wellbeing with a step challenge today! Contact GoJoe for a demo or explore how our platform can help create a healthy, motivated, and engaged workforce.
FAQs:
How long should a step challenge be?
Most step challenges last between 2 to 4 weeks. This duration is long enough to establish healthy habits, strong engagement and see benefits but short enough to maintain motivation.
How do you track a step challenge?
Use wearable fitness devices like Apple Health or Google Fit for automatic tracking. GoJoe integrates with these devices for easy tracking, or employees can manually log their steps using an app. GoJoe also has an inbuilt GPS tracker and the option to add activity manually.
What is a good prize for a step challenge?
Good prizes include gift cards, extra paid time off, company swag, and public recognition. Tailor the rewards to what will motivate your employees most. GoJoe integrates rewards from 2,000 global brands for users to redeem activity against.
How do you structure a fitness challenge?
A fitness challenge can be structured based on individual or team participation. Set clear goals, track progress regularly, and offer rewards for achievements. Ensure inclusivity by accommodating varying fitness levels and providing alternative activities for those with physical limitations.
Sources:
Donnelly JE, et al. (2013). "Physical activity and workplace health programs: Reducing obesity and improving fitness." Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
Goetzel, R. Z., et al. (2017). "Worksite health promotion and employee engagement: The key to increased productivity." International Journal of Workplace Health Management.
Warburton, D. E. R., et al. (2017). "Physical activity and health: A critical review of the current literature." JAMA Internal Medicine.
