Complete guide to launching a successful Stepathon

Want to boost employee health and team spirit? Here's how to run an effective corporate step challenge:

1. Set clear rules
2. Choose a tracking tool
3. Design your contest
4. Pick motivating prizes
5. Make it inclusive for all
6. Plan your communication
7. Start and Watch progress

Key benefits:

• Improves physical and mental health
• Increases productivity
• Strengthens company culture
• Lowers healthcare costs

Quick tips:

• Aim for 10,000 steps per day
• Run the challenge for 4-8 weeks
• Use a platform like Wellnessentially to track progress
• Offer a mix of individual and team rewards
• Use raffles to keep everyone engaged and motivated

An easy-to-use interface encourages participation, while compatibility with fitness trackers allows users to leverage their existing devices. Live updates keep motivation high, and flexible goals cater to various fitness levels, making the challenge accessible and engaging for everyone. Raffles keep participants engaged and motivated, while tight security ensures employee data is safe.

Remember: Keep it simple, fun, and inclusive. A well-run step challenge can transform your workplace and lead to long-term health benefits for your team.

We know this sounds like a lot, but don't worry! We've broken down the process and the platform is optimized to help you launch a successful step challenge at your workplace.

1. Set Your Challenge Rules

Clear rules are key for a great corporate step challenge. They keep things fair, get people excited, and help you hit your wellness goals. Here's how to nail your challenge rules:

Choose Your Goals

Pick goals you can measure. Some popular ones:

Most people walk 3,000-4,000 steps a day. Aiming for 10,000 is a big jump without being too much.

Pick Challenge Length

How long should it run? Most companies go for 4-8 weeks. It's long enough to form habits but short enough to keep people interested.

Your options:

• 4 weeks: Quick and energetic
• 6 weeks: Good for building habits
• 8 weeks: Best for big lifestyle changes

Who Can Join

The more, the merrier! Be clear about who can join:

• Full-timers
• Part-timers
• Remote workers
• Contractors (if you want)

List the fitness devices that work with your wellness software. Think Fitbit, Apple Watch, or smartphone apps.

Basic Rules

Keep it simple. Here's what to cover:

1. How to count steps (trackers, apps)
2. When to report (daily, weekly, or real-time)
3. Minimum participation (like logging steps 5 days a week)
4. Team setup (if you're doing teams)
5. How often you'll update the leaderboard

One HR manager said: "Simpler rules = more people join. We got 30% more folks involved when we made our guidelines easier."

2. Pick Your Tracking Tool

Picking the right step-tracking software can make or break your corporate step challenge. Let's dive into what you need to know.

What to Look For

When shopping for a step-tracking tool, keep these features in mind:

Keep Data Safe

Protecting your employees' info is a big deal. Here's what to do:

• Pick a platform with solid security (think encryption and following data protection rules)
• Only collect the info you really need
• Tell employees how you'll use and protect their data
• Do regular security check-ups

Choose wisely, and your step challenge will be off to a great start.

3. Design Your Contest

You've set your rules and picked your tracking tool. Now, let's design your contest. This is where things get exciting!

Solo or Team Play

First up: individual or team challenge? Both have their ups and downs:

Some companies mix it up. Salesforce, for example, lets employees compete solo AND in teams. It's a hit!

Scoring System

Your scoring system can make or break engagement. Here's a simple but effective approach:

• Daily Goals: Set doable daily targets (like 10,000 steps).
• Point System: Give points for hitting milestones (maybe 1 point per 1,000 steps).
• Bonus Points: Reward consistency (like 5 extra points for hitting the goal 5 days straight).
• Raffles: Keep everyone engaged with regular prize draws.

Track Results

Keeping tabs on progress keeps the excitement alive. Here's how:

• Use your chosen platform for live leaderboard updates.
• Send weekly emails with top performers and cool stats.
• Create a "progress map" showing the total distance covered by everyone.

A Fortune 500 company's HR director shared: "Our step challenge had a 94.4% completion rate when we added virtual rewards and real-time tracking."

💡Want to spice things up? Add virtual rewards, Wellnessessentially already handles the real-time tracking.

Don't forget to have fun! Try "walking meetings" or themed weeks to keep things fresh. One creative company uses duct tape to show miles walked - it's a fun, tangible way to see progress.

4. Choose Your Prizes

Picking the right rewards can make your corporate step challenge a hit. Throw in a raffle and your engagement will be off the charts. Here's how to select prizes that'll get everyone moving.

Ways to Say Thanks

Recognition matters. Here's how to celebrate your steppers:

• Weekly shoutouts in company-wide emails
• Progress boards in the office or on your intranet
• Digital badges through your challenge platform

Give Out Prizes

Timing is key. Here's a solid prize strategy:

• strong Weekly winners:
Keep people engaged with small, frequent rewards.
• strong Milestone achievements:
Celebrate when individuals or teams hit big targets.
• strong End-of-challenge awards:
Save your biggest prizes for the grand finale.
• strong Improvement recognition:
Don't forget those who've made the biggest strides.

💡 Pro Tip: Use Wellnessentially Push Notification system to keep participants engaged and up to date.

You could give half-day PTO passes to users who boost their average steps the most from weeks 1-2 to weeks 3-4.

Set Prize Budget

Your budget will shape your reward strategy:

Mix up your prizes to appeal to different interests. Don't just focus on big wins. Small, frequent rewards can keep people motivated throughout the challenge.

💡Here's a budget-friendly idea that encourages consistent participation: Create a raffle for users who keep a 5,000 step average for 30 days. The prize? A 500RON gift card to eMag.

5. Make It Open to All

Want your step challenge to be a hit? Make sure EVERYONE can join in. Here's how:

Help Those Who Need It

Got employees with different abilities? No problem:

• Can't use a fitness tracker? You can use just the phone to track the steps.
• Mobility issues? Set custom goals that work for them.
• Mix up team fitness levels. It's more fun (and fair) that way.

Easy to Join

Don't let anything stop people from joining:

• Share a list of trackers that work with your challenge.
• Got extra trackers? Lend them out.
• Make joining simple. Use text, video, and audio instructions.

Always There to Help

Keep the support coming:

• Set up a help desk or chat.
• Pair newbies with challenge pros.
• Host weekly Q&As. Clear up any confusion.

💡We provide support for setting up the Stepathon via email, documentatation (text, video, faqs) and a chatbot that can ease the adoption process.

"Including people with disabilities in these activities begins with identifying and eliminating barriers to their participation." - Centers for Disease Control

Here's a fact: About 1 in 5 people adults has some kind of disability. Make your challenge open to all, and you'll tap into a big part of your team.

💡Pro Tip: Before you start, ask your team what they need. It'll help you make a challenge that works for everyone.

6. Plan Your Messages

Good communication can make or break your corporate step challenge. Here's how to keep everyone in the loop and fired up:

Tell People About It

Kick things off with a bang! Spread the word through multiple channels:

A Gallup Poll found that"only 40% of those that knew about the programs actually participated in them.". This shows it's not just about telling people - you need to get them excited to join in.

7. Start and Watch Progress

You've done the prep work. Now it's time to launch your corporate step challenge and keep an eye on how it's going. Here's how to get started and keep the momentum going:

Day One Kick-Off

Start your challenge with a bang:

Wellnessentially's platform makes organizing these events and tracking participation a breeze.

Share Updates

Keep the ball rolling with regular progress reports:

• Weekly leaderboard updates
• Milestone achievements (like "We've walked from New York to LA!")
• Personal success stories

💡 Use Wellnessentially's real-time feedback to automate some updates or run the raffles. It'll save you time and keep people engaged.

Keep People Moving

Motivation is key. Try these ideas to keep participation high:

1. Theme Weeks: Spice things up with fun themes:
   • "Walk Through History Week" (1,000 steps = 1 year in history)
   • "Around the World in 80 Days Challenge" (track progress on a world map)
   • "Superhero Week" (each team picks a superhero to represent)
   • "Nature Week" (walk in parks, forests, or gardens)
2. Micro-Challenges: Spark some friendly competition with short-term goals:

   Challenge	Duration	Goal
   Monday Motivation	1 day	Highest step count
   Lunch Break Hustle	1 hour	Most active minutes
   Weekend Warrior	2 days	Greatest distance covered

Keep an Eye on Things

Monitor your challenge:

• Check daily step counts and who's taking part
• Look at team performance and individual progress weekly
• Send out progress reports every two weeks

💡Use Wellnessentially's dashboard to spot trends and keep everyone pumped.

Track Who's In

Keep tabs on engagement:

Tackle Problems

Be ready to fix issues:

• Set up a help line: Create an email or chat channel for questions.
• Offer tech help: Have IT ready to help with app or device issues.
• Keep things fair: Be clear about how steps are counted and winners picked.
• Be flexible: If interest drops, try adding new prizes or team events.

💡Wellnessentially provides support throughout the whole Stepathon lifecyle

One HR director said it best: "Our best challenges were when we listened and made quick changes."

Conclusion

Now that you are successfully setup and running your Stepathon, you can enjoy the benefits of a healthier and more engaged team. Remember to keep the challenge fun and inclusive, and you'll see long-term health benefits for your team.

Keep an eye posted on our blog for more tips on what to do once the Stepathon is over and how to keep the momentum going.