a guide to Creating a Workplace wellness challenge
In this step-by-step guide to workplace wellness challenges, you will learn how to implement a wellness challenge from start to finish effectively. The most challenging and time-consuming part of creating any wellness challenge and a 31-day Gratitude challenge to implement tomorrow!
We want to make this simple for you, so we have broken down precisely what you need to do to launch any inspiring and engaging challenge. Since it takes a bit of preparation and planning for each event, you will want to think about these important key factors first.
How many challenges do you want to host per year?
What other events/workshops/conferences are already scheduled or do you plan to host?
How much time do you need to plan for a successful event?
What is your annual budget for wellness activities?
What resources do you need to execute each event/challenge?
How to execute a Wellness Challenge from start to finish.
Define Goals and Measurements
This step is often overlooked and the most important so that you can measure the outcome of the challenge. When setting your goals for the challenge, ask yourself, “What exactly do you want to achieve from this event?”.
Examples of goals: Educate on a specific topic.
Increase employee satisfaction
Reconnect or team build
Employee lifestyle changes
Increased participation
Next, you want to define how you will measure your challenge’s success. This step is important for defining a winner and determining if your goal was accomplished.
Ways to measure your challenge: Record attendance
Attendance of wellness events outside of work (charity runs, walks, health expos, etc.)
Reduced employee sick days
Participants review
Surveys
Track measurable markers (weight, minutes, miles, steps, etc.)
Educate
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Employee Satisfaction
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Team building
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Life style change
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Increased participation
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Educate 〰️ Employee Satisfaction 〰️ Team building 〰️ Life style change 〰️ Increased participation 〰️
Incentivize: What is in it For Them?
Make sure to communicate the physical benefits of the challenge, as well as sweeten the deal with a prize. Some employees will sign up because they love competition and value their health. Others may need some extra motivation to get involved. Either way, offering some incentive for a challenge is always a good idea. Prizes don’t have to be elaborate. However, the better the award, the more people want to get involved.
Ways to incentivize: Accountability partners make challenges easier and individuals accountable
Certain milestones achieved = a specific prize
Certain milestones achieved = a raffle ticket toward a grand prize
Top earner prizes
“No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishments.”
Carol Dweck
Schedule the event
This may be the easiest step to decide. When and where will this challenge take place?
Things to consider:How long will the challenge be?
Other important dates to highlight for the event (when to submit tracking, any special workshop/classes that will be part of the challenge, etc.)?
Any busy times or weeks that would affect the outcome of the challenge (holidays, work travel, etc.)?
If you need a specific location for the event, is the space available (gym classes, conference rooms, etc.)?
Once you have locked in your date and location, you can begin to plan your marketing campaign around this. Ensure you give yourself adequate time to execute and communicate the planned events.
Spread the Word: How to Market Your Challenge
This is the most impactful step and will significantly influence the outcome and success of your challenge/event. Once you have scheduled your challenge, notify employees ASAP through a registration process and calendar invites. Then continue to market the challenge at regular intervals until the start date.
You will want to use different communication channels to spread the word (flyers, emails, newsletters, digital signage, table toppers, etc.). Don’t forget to include all the important details, such as how to sign up, track, and what is in it for them, etc.
Example of a marketing timeline: Six weeks out- announce the event and send our registration/invites
One-month out- reminders every week and begin placing all marketing material
Two weeks out- reminders 2x a week
Starting week- daily reminders
Once the challenge has started, create and display a leaderboard to highlight the progress and keep the challenge at the forefront of your employees’ minds. It is a fun visual reminder and can create friendly competition and morale.
Pro Tip: Get social! Use your company’s wellness portal, social media, and internal channels to hype up your challenge. Set up hashtags to encourage employees to share on social media throughout the challenge.
After the Challenge: Survey, Measure, and Share
Wrap up your challenge by announcing the winner and highlighting significant accomplishments from the participants. Ask permission to share photos or big victories in company newsletters, meetings, and social media. Send out after-event surveys and ask for feedback. Following up after the challenge is complete is a great way to know how successful your event was and get feedback on how to improve the next challenge.
Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, try our 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge to start hosting your workplace wellness challenges today!
Want custom wellness challenges created for your employees each month? Then, launch our wellness platform today to effortlessly host monthly wellness challenges done for you!
