Evidence for HR and wellness leaders
The real benefits of a corporate fitness challenge.
Step challenges can raise daily activity, bring scattered teams together and show employees that leadership cares. Here is what the research supports, where the evidence is thin, and how to design a challenge that delivers the benefits it can.
The short version
- +906more steps per day by week 8 of a national workplace step challengeNiven et al., 2021, 10,183 participants
- 69%less likely to job-search when employees feel their employer cares about their wellbeingGallup, 2022
- 71%less likely to report burnout for that same group of employeesGallup, 2022
- <1 in 4employees strongly agree their employer cares about their wellbeingGallup, 2022
The strongest benefits of a fitness challenge are social and behavioral: more movement during the challenge, more contact between coworkers, and a visible sign that the organization takes wellbeing seriously. Promises of lower insurance premiums within a year are harder to support, and a sharp CFO will know it. Leading with the benefits you can measure makes the program easier to defend.
Six benefits you can expect
1. People move more during the challenge
Scotland’s Step Count Challenge has run as an eight-week, team-based workplace challenge for years. Across four years and 10,183 participants, the average participant took about 906 more steps per day in week eight than in week one, with yearly gains ranging from 506 to 1,223 steps.
Niven A. et al., “The Effectiveness of an Annual Nationally Delivered Workplace Step Count Challenge on Changing Step Counts,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021.
2. Coworkers connect across departments
Mixed teams give people a reason to message someone they would never meet in their normal work. For hybrid and remote staff, a shared challenge is often the only non-work conversation of the week. See team building fitness challenge ideas for formats that encourage this.
3. Employees see that the organization cares
Gallup found that employees who strongly agree their employer cares about their wellbeing are 69% less likely to look for a new job and 71% less likely to report burnout. A challenge is one of the most visible, inexpensive ways to show that care, especially when leaders take part.
Gallup, “Percent Who Feel Employer Cares About Their Wellbeing Plummets,” March 2022.
4. Friendly competition can make gains last
In the STEP UP randomized trial of 602 adults, teams were assigned to support, collaboration or competition designs. All three raised activity during the game. During the 12-week follow-up, only the competition arm stayed significantly above the control group, by about 569 steps per day.
Patel M.S. et al., “Effectiveness of Behaviorally Designed Gamification Interventions With Social Incentives for Increasing Physical Activity,” JAMA Internal Medicine, 2019.
5. Participants get a personal before-and-after
People stay motivated when they can see their own progress. A baseline fitness check at kickoff and a final check at the end turn a few weeks of walking into a result each person can point to.
6. HR gets a positive program with clear numbers
Participation rate, goal completion and before-and-after change are easy to report. Those numbers help justify the next season and show which departments need more support.
What the research does not support
Honest expectations make a wellness program more credible. Three well-known studies are worth knowing before you pitch a challenge to leadership:
- Illinois Workplace Wellness Study. A randomized trial of about 4,800 university employees found no significant effect on medical spending or health outcomes within the first years. Participants tended to be people who were already healthier. (Jones, Molitor and Reif, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2019)
- BJ’s Wholesale Club trial. Across 160 worksites, employees in the wellness program reported more exercise and better weight management, with no significant change in clinical measures, spending or absenteeism after 18 months. (Song and Baicker, JAMA, 2019)
- PepsiCo program analysis. Disease management returned several dollars per dollar spent, while lifestyle management returned less than a dollar. (Caloyeras et al., Health Affairs, 2014)
What this means for your challenge: sell it on engagement, connection and measurable activity. Design it to reach the people who are not already active, because they have the most to gain and the Illinois study shows they are the easiest to lose.
Design choices that unlock the benefits
- Score against a goal. eFit’s Activity Score treats 70% of the goal as success, so a beginner can finish strong.
- Count active minutes. Cycling, swimming and wheelchair activity deserve credit alongside steps.
- Make the leaderboard opt-in. Competitors compete; everyone else participates privately.
- Keep it short and repeat it. Four to eight weeks, then a new season.
- Measure a starting point. A Baseline Fitness Check turns the finish into a personal result.
The organizer guide walks through each of these week by week.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers on challenge benefits.
Have a different question? Tell us about your group and we will help map the right challenge.
Email support@efit.healthDo workplace step challenges increase activity?
Yes, during the challenge. A four-year study of Scotland’s national workplace Step Count Challenge found participants averaged about 906 more steps per day in week eight than in week one.
Do corporate wellness challenges lower healthcare costs?
Large randomized studies have not found short-term savings on medical spending from lifestyle programs. The better-supported benefits are higher activity, engagement and a stronger sense that the employer cares.
Is competition good or bad for a workplace challenge?
A randomized trial in JAMA Internal Medicine found that a competition-based design was the only one whose activity gains lasted after the game ended. Team-based, goal-relative competition gets that benefit without discouraging less active staff.
How do we measure the results of our challenge?
Track participation rate, the share of participants who reach the goal, change from the baseline to the final fitness check, and a short survey on connection and morale.
Start the conversation
Put the benefits to work for your team.
Tell us your group size and timing. We will help you design a challenge that reaches the people who need it most.