Remote and hybrid teams
A virtual fitness challenge for teams that rarely share an office.
Remote teams miss the hallway conversations that build trust. A virtual challenge gives everyone the same goal, a reason to check in and a shared win, whether they work from headquarters, a home office or a different state.
What remote teams struggle with
Managers of distributed teams describe the same gaps: new hires who never meet anyone outside their project, video calls that start and end with work, and a culture that feels thinner every quarter. Virtual happy hours help a little and wear out fast.
A fitness challenge fills a different slot. It asks nothing of anyone’s calendar, runs in the background for several weeks, and gives people a light, positive topic that crosses teams. The walk someone takes between meetings becomes something their teammates can see and cheer.
What a remote challenge needs, and how eFit handles it
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No shared location
Nobody can hand out pedometers or post a paper leaderboard.
Everything runs in the browser, and activity syncs from each person’s phone.
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Every kind of device
A distributed workforce uses every phone and tracker brand there is.
Google Health brings in activity from phones and many popular tracker apps.
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Low-touch setup
The organizer cannot walk desk to desk helping people connect.
Guided setup walks each participant through connecting, and organizers see who is not syncing yet.
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Staying visible
Out of sight is out of mind once the kickoff email is buried.
Daily progress, badges and a map-based Walking Journey bring people back between updates.
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Small-group connection
Company-wide leaderboards feel anonymous at scale.
Accountability pods of three or four people set weekly commitments together.
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Fair across roles
A field rep walks all day while a developer sits for eight hours.
Scoring against a goal, with 70% counting as success, keeps both in the running.
Five tips for a remote challenge
- Post updates where people already are. A weekly message in your main chat channel beats a separate newsletter.
- Mix teams across locations. Pair headquarters staff with remote colleagues they rarely meet.
- Share photos. A thread of walking-route photos from different cities is the most-read post of most remote challenges.
- Open with a live kickoff. Fifteen minutes on video to explain the goal and help people connect their phones.
- End with a live wrap-up. Announce results together and thank everyone who reached the goal.
The step challenge organizer guide has a full week-by-week timeline you can adapt.
Frequently asked questions
Questions from remote team leads.
Have a different question? Tell us about your group and we will help map the right challenge.
Email support@efit.healthHow does a virtual fitness challenge work?
Each participant joins online and connects Google Health on their phone. Steps and active minutes sync automatically every day, and everyone follows the same challenge dashboard from wherever they are.
Do remote employees need special equipment?
No. A smartphone is enough. People who already wear a watch or tracker can bring that activity in through Google Health.
How do we keep remote participants engaged?
Use small mixed teams, a weekly update in the channel people already read, and features that give people a reason to return, such as badges, the Walking Journey map and accountability pods.
Can in-office and remote staff compete together?
Yes. Everyone is scored against the same goal, so location makes no difference to the result.
Start the conversation
Connect your distributed team.
Tell us how many people and locations you have. We will help you set up groups and a kickoff that gets everyone connected.