Workplace Step Challenge Template

You know you need to get more steps in every day, but actually doing it is easier said than done. Let’s be real – between your commute, your desk job, and your Netflix habit, racking up 10,000 steps isn’t exactly a walk in the park. But what if your workplace started a step challenge to motivate everyone to move more? Suddenly, those steps start adding up when you’re competing for the top spot on the leaderboard. In this guide, we’ll walk through on how to set up a fun and engaging step challenge at your office to get your coworkers off their butts and on their feet. With a little friendly competition, you can transform your team into a bunch of fitness fanatics – even the guy from accounting who’s glued to his chair. Let’s get stepping!

What Is a Workplace Step Challenge?

A workplace step challenge is a fun team activity that encourages employees to be more active and improve their physical health and well-being. It’s a competition where participants use pedometers or fitness trackers like Fitbits to count how many steps they take each day over a set time period, usually 4-8 weeks.

The goal is to motivate employees to increase their daily physical activity by turning it into a game. Coworkers form teams and compete to see which team can log the most steps during the challenge. There are usually prizes for the winning team or individuals with the highest step count.

Step challenges create camaraderie, friendly competition, and accountability. Setting step goals and seeing your daily progress on a leaderboard taps into people’s competitive side. Having team members and comparing step counts with coworkers adds motivation to get moving.

These initiatives are win-win for employees and employers. They boost morale, energize workplace culture, and support employees’ physical and mental health. Active employees with healthy lifestyles are more productive and engaged and take less sick time.

Step challenges are easy to set up and flexible to accommodate all fitness levels. Participants can walk, jog, run, dance – anything that registers steps! It’s an inclusive way to promote physical activity and wellness in the workplace.

Benefits of a Workplace Step Challenge

A workplace step challenge is a great way to get employees moving more during the workday. Here are some of the top benefits of holding a step challenge at your company:

• Improves health and fitness. A step challenge incentivizes people to be more active by walking, taking the stairs, parking farther away, etc. This can lead to lower BMI, better health, decreased stress, and better energy levels.
• Boosts morale and camaraderie. A healthy competition in teams allows employees to bond and cheer each other on. Reaching step goals together creates a sense of community and pride.
• Increases productivity. Research shows that daily physical activity improves focus, creativity, and decision-making. Getting steps in could result in better work performance.
• Lowers healthcare costs. Companies have seen significant reductions in medical claims after launching walking programs. Increased activity helps prevent chronic diseases down the road.
• Supports corporate wellness programs. A step challenge can kickstart your workplace wellness policy and show employees you care about their health and well-being.
• Drives friendly competition. A little friendly competition goes a long way! It gives participants motivation to reach personal bests and beat others’ scores.
• Provides data and analytics. Activity trackers give insightful data like number of steps taken, distance covered, calories burned, and patterns over time.
• Easy to implement. Step challenges are simple to set up and execute. You don’t need fancy equipment – just a wearable device with a step counter like a phone, apple watch, or fitness band.

A workplace step challenge offers measurable benefits for both employees and the company overall. It’s an easy, fun way to get people moving and reap the rewards of improved health, morale, and productivity. Give it a try at your organization!

How to Set Up a Step Challenge at Work

Getting your coworkers moving with a walking challenge is a fun way to improve health and boost morale. Here’s how to organize one at your workplace:

• Get buy-in from management. Talk to your manager or HR about starting an office step challenge. Emphasize the benefits like increased productivity, reduced risk of heart disease, lower healthcare costs, and team building. Consider tying it to a health and wellness initiative.
• Form a planning team. Recruit a few coworkers to help organize the challenge. Try to get representatives from different departments.
• Choose a tracker. Decide whether to use phone apps, wearable fitness devices like an Apple watch or old-fashioned pedometers to track steps. Apps like Fitbit and Apple Health are user-friendly options.
• Set the rules. Determine the length of the challenge (e.g., 7-day step challenge, 30-day step challenge) and if people can form teams or go solo. Set step goals based on what’s realistic for your coworkers.
• Promote the challenge. Hype it up through emails, flyers, team meetings, and your company intranet. Launch a competition website or use a leaderboard to stoke participation. Offer prizes and incentives like gift certificates or a gym membership for top step-getters.
• Kick things off. Host a launch party to get people pumped up and hand out any trackers. Consider having a guest speaker discuss fitness and motivation.
• Track progress. Check-in on everyone’s step count throughout the challenge and update the leaderboard. Send reminders to keep up with the activity.
• Wrap it up. Announce winners and hand out prizes. Thank everyone for participating and sharing highlights. Send out a survey to collect feedback for future challenges.

With some planning and creativity, your workplace step challenge will get people moving and bring your team together! Set ground rules, use technology to track steps, and offer incentives to make it competitive and fun.

Tips for Promoting Employee Participation

Getting employees excited about and engaged in your office wellness challenge can take a little creativity and effort. Here are some tips for generating interest and participation:

• Highlight the benefits. Emphasize that the challenge is about supporting employee well-being and bringing employees together. Share the research on how walking benefits health and productivity. Consider offering small weekly prizes or rewards for participation.
• Make it social. Encourage teammates to walk together on breaks. Create a friendly competition between departments or let employees form their own teams. Share photos and stories on your company intranet or newsletter.
• Offer incentives. Consider providing all participants with a fun step tracker like a pedometer or fitness band. Raffle off gift cards or other prizes for employees who complete weekly step goals.
• Get leadership involved. Have executives and managers join a team and communicate enthusiasm about the challenge. Friendly competition between bosses can spur participation.
• Promote on multiple channels. Use posters, email, social media, and word of mouth to spread the word. Send periodic reminders and updates.
• Start small. Don’t worry if participation is low at first. Build energy over time as employees see others getting involved and having fun.
• Consider all abilities. Be inclusive of employees with disabilities or injuries that may limit walking. Encourage teams to be supportive.
• Track progress. Share individual and team leaderboards to create excitement. But focus more on fun than winning.

With creativity and persistence, you can get those steps counting and feet moving for health! A successful challenge leaves employees more engaged, connected, and productive.

Fun Step Challenge Team Names

Coming up with creative team names is one of the most enjoyable parts of organizing a team-based challenge! The team name gives your group an identity and helps build camaraderie. When brainstorming names, think about inside jokes, favorite pop culture references, or play on words related to walking, health, or your workplace.

To get your creative juices flowing, here are some fun and spirited team name ideas:

• The Walking Dead – For fans of the hit TV show!
• The Stepford Wives – A cheeky spin on the 1970s thriller film.
• Dances with Steps – Channel your inner Kevin Costner blockbuster film.
• Game of Steps – For the Game of Thrones binge watchers.
• Step to the Beat – Find your rhythm and step in time.
• Miles to Go – From the famous Robert Frost poem.
• We Came. We Saw. We Conquered. – Julius Caesar would approve!
• Step of Approval – Put your best foot forward.
• The Walkie Talkies – Stay connected while racking up steps.
• The Walking Warriors – Channel your inner strength.
• The Trendsetters – Lead the step challenge pack in style.
• The Wandering Soles – For the free spirits.
• Step by Step – Take it one day at a time.
• The Walktopians – Create an ideal society, one step at a time.

Get everyone involved in brainstorming team names and putting them to a vote. The name that gets the most laughs and excitement will help unify your team. Don’t be afraid to get silly and creative. The team name sets the tone for being active while having fun together.

Tracking Steps During the Challenge

Now that you’ve signed up for the company step challenge, it’s time to start racking up those steps! Here are some tips for tracking your progress:

• Wear a fitness tracker or pedometer every day. This is the easiest way to keep tabs on your step count. Fitbits, Garmins, and even many smartwatches have built-in pedometers.
• Sync your tracker with the workplace wellness app daily. This allows your steps to be counted toward the team and individual goals. Try to sync by the end of each day.
• Use your phone’s health app. If you don’t have a fitness tracker, you can use the health app on your iPhone or Android. This passively tracks your movement throughout the day. Just remember to keep your phone in your pocket!
• Record manual entries. If you forget your tracker, you can log your steps manually on the wellness app. Try to estimate your daily steps – every little bit counts!
• Take a screenshot of your progress. Snap a picture of your tracker’s step count at the end of each day. This gives you a backup record in case the app sync fails.
• Map out daily step goals. Aim for 10,000 steps per day. Break it down into smaller goals – like 3,000 steps by noon. This helps you stay on track.
• Schedule walking meetings and breaks. Look for opportunities to walk and talk or take a quick stroll outside. 10 minutes of walking = 1,000+ steps!
• Park farther away. Give yourself some extra walking time in parking lots. Those extra 500 steps to and from your car add up.
• Take the long way. Opt for the scenic route to the restroom or water cooler for bonus steps during the workday.
• Integrate an evening walk into your daily routine. A brisk 20-30 minute walk after dinner helps you unwind and contributes major steps.

With a little planning, you can easily hit your daily step goals. Stick with it and watch those steps add up over the course of the challenge!

Rewarding Winners and Participants

• At the end of your step challenge, it’s important to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments and reward participants for their efforts. This keeps people motivated and engaged for future wellness initiatives.
• For the top winners who take the most steps, offer prizes like gift cards, a gym membership, fitness trackers, water bottles, paid time off, etc. You could do first, second, and third place prizes.
• For random prize drawings, collect all participants’ names and pick 2-3 winners each week. Give away things like gift cards, lunch with the CEO, wellness products, etc.
• For milestone prizes, reward people when they hit targets like 10,000 steps per day or 100,000 steps total. Ideas include gift cards, trophies, plaques, or shoutouts.
• Offer completion prizes to everyone who finishes the full challenge. These are typically smaller gifts like water bottles, t-shirts, stickers, or coupons.
• Send congratulatory emails from leadership applauding everyone’s hard work and commitment to their health.
• Hold a wrap-up celebration like a step challenge party with healthy snacks and games.
• Create digital badges or certificates that people can share on social media. These make great profile pictures!
• Publicize results on your company intranet, newsletter, social media, etc. Share highlights and congratulate winners publicly.
• Consider charitable donations to health causes for every 1 million steps taken collectively. Give back!

The step challenge may be over, but the impact on employee well-being, morale, and culture can continue long after. Make the end rewarding and fun for all involved!

Final Thoughts on Running a Successful Step Challenge

• Focus on participation over competition. The goal is to improve employee health. Motivate everyone to move more, not crown a “winner.” Keep the spirit friendly and supportive.
• Make it social. Encourage participants to walk together at lunch or form small teams for extra camaraderie. Share photos on social media with a challenge hashtag.
• Consider incentives or small weekly prizes like gift cards, water bottles, or pedometers to keep people engaged, but don’t go overboard. The health benefits should be reward enough.
• Be flexible and listen to feedback. This is the first time trying a step challenge, so expect to tweak things along the way to make it work best for your workplace.
• Emphasize that every step counts. Celebrate small victories and consistency. Not everyone will hit 10,000 steps a day—remember that more movement is the ultimate aim.
• Use apps to track steps and provide reminders. Apps like Fitbit or the health app on your phone or smartwatch can motivate you to get moving throughout the day.
• Make stairwells inviting. Put up posters encouraging people to take the stairs. Make sure stairwells are cleaned regularly.
• Offer seminars on walking for wellness. Bring in guest speakers like personal trainers to educate people on the benefits of walking and inspire them to make it a regular physical activity.
• Support charity causes. Tie the step challenge to a charity fundraiser where the money raised is based on the total steps taken. This is an excellent way to boost employee engagement.
• Keep the momentum going. After the challenge ends, look for ways to build a culture of movement at your company through walking meetings, treadmill desks, etc.

With a thoughtful approach and strong participation, your first walking challenge can kickstart healthy habits that continue well beyond the event. Maintain an open, encouraging spirit and, most importantly, have fun with it!

Workplace Step Challenge FAQs

Starting a corporate step challenge? You probably have some questions! Here are answers to some frequently asked questions to help you get rolling.

What is the goal of the step challenge?
The goal is to motivate employees to be more active by tracking steps and competing (in a friendly way!) against coworkers. Challenges typically run for 4-6 weeks.

How does the company step challenge work?
Everyone who wants to join the challenge wears a fitness tracker like a Fitbit to monitor their daily steps. Steps are reported and ranked on a leaderboard so you can see how your steps stack up against others. At the end of the challenge, the top steppers win prizes!

Do I have to buy a fitness tracker?
You don’t necessarily have to buy one. Ask around – you may be able to borrow a tracker from a coworker. If not, fitness trackers can be found pretty cheaply online or in stores. Look for basic models – you don’t need all the bells and whistles for step counting.

How much does it cost to join the challenge?
The challenge itself is free! You just need a device to track your steps, which you may already own. If not, basic trackers start around $25-50. The company may subsidize part of the cost if needed.

Do I have to reach a step goal every day?
Nope! Some days you’ll walk more than others. Just do your best each day. It all adds up over the full challenge period. Consistently taking extra short walks is an easy way to rack up steps.

I have a desk job – can I really compete?
Absolutely! Take mini-movement breaks throughout your workday. Do shoulder rolls, march in place, and take the long route to the restroom. At lunch, do a quick lap around the building. Little bursts of regular physical activity all day long will have you hitting step goals in no time.

What if I don’t want to share my step count publicly?
No problem! You can still participate anonymously and enter your steps privately. The program coordinator will have access to tally your steps without making them public.

What are the prizes for top steppers?
Prizes vary but may include gift cards or gift certificates, wearable tech, a gym membership, active lifestyle gear, paid time off, and public recognition. The real reward is the health benefits and fun of participating!

Let us know if you have any other questions! We hope you’ll lace up your fitness trackers and take the step challenge.

Conclusion

And there you have it – a step-by-step guide to creating your own workplace step challenge that will motivate your team to get moving. By making it collaborative and adding some friendly competition, you can inspire everyone to get off their butts and rack up those daily steps. Just remember to keep the focus on fun and fitness rather than hardcore competition. With the right attitude and enthusiasm from leadership, a step challenge can lead to healthier, happier, and more productive employees. And isn’t that what we all want? So go for a walk, get those creative juices flowing, and start planning your challenge today! Your coworkers will thank you (after they get over the sore muscles).