How can you design a wellness challenge that motivates your team?

1 Know your audience

Before you launch a wellness challenge, you need to understand your team's needs, preferences, and interests. Conduct a survey, a focus group, or a brainstorming session to find out what kind of wellness activities they would like to participate in, what their current challenges are, and what incentives they would appreciate. You can also use data from previous wellness initiatives, employee feedback, or health assessments to identify areas for improvement and potential risks.

2 Set clear and realistic goals

A wellness challenge should have a clear purpose and measurable outcomes. What are you trying to achieve with your wellness challenge? Is it to reduce stress, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, or something else? How will you track and evaluate your progress and impact? How long will the challenge last and how often will you communicate with your team? Make sure your goals are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. And don't forget to align them with your organizational values and culture.

3 Choose a theme and a format

A wellness challenge should be fun and engaging for your team. You can choose a theme that relates to your goals, your industry, your season, or your location. For example, you can have a step challenge, a mindfulness challenge, a hydration challenge, or a gratitude challenge. You can also choose a format that suits your team's preferences and availability. For example, you can have an individual, a team, or a company-wide challenge. You can also have a daily, a weekly, or a monthly challenge.

4 Provide support and resources

A wellness challenge should not be a one-time event, but a part of a comprehensive wellness program that supports your team's well-being. You can provide support and resources to help your team achieve their wellness goals and overcome their barriers. For example, you can offer coaching, mentoring, webinars, newsletters, or apps that provide tips, guidance, and encouragement. You can also create a wellness committee, a wellness champion, or a wellness buddy system that fosters peer support and accountability.

5 Reward and recognize

A wellness challenge should reward and recognize your team's efforts and achievements. You can offer incentives that motivate your team to participate and complete the challenge. For example, you can offer prizes, vouchers, badges, certificates, or points that can be redeemed for rewards. You can also recognize your team's success and celebrate their milestones. For example, you can share stories, testimonials, photos, or videos that showcase their progress and impact. You can also host a celebration event, a ceremony, or a party that acknowledges their accomplishments.

6 Evaluate and improve

A wellness challenge should be evaluated and improved based on your team's feedback and results. You can collect data and feedback from your team before, during, and after the challenge to measure your outcomes and satisfaction. You can also analyze the data and feedback to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your wellness challenge and the areas for improvement. You can use the insights and lessons learned to improve your future wellness challenges and your overall wellness program.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?