Setting Group Challenges for Office Fitness Motivation

Does anyone worry about privacy? Some folks in my office didn't want to share their 'health data' on a public leaderboard. We had to make it optional and use pseudonyms.

We used pseudonyms! People picked names like 'The Flash' or 'Sofa King Tired.' It added a bit of a laugh to the whole thing and kept the HR lot happy about data protection.

Haha, 'Sofa King Tired'—I'm stealing that. One thing we did was a 'Water Gallon' challenge. In the heat here, hydration is fitness. Most points went to the department that finished their communal water cooler first. Simple and effective.

These are fantastic. I'm going to pitch the 'Bingo' card for individuals and the 'NY to London Trek' for the whole company. One final question: how long should these challenges last? A week? A month?

A month is the sweet spot. A week is too short to build a habit, but after 4 weeks, people usually start to lose interest. Do a big launch and a big 'awards' lunch at the end.

Totally agree with LondonLad. Four weeks is perfect. You can even do mini-prizes every Friday to keep the momentum going through the 'mid-month slump.'

Good luck, Climber! NY to London sounds like a blast. Let us know how the tracking goes—I’m curious to see if the tech stays out of the way.

One last tip: take photos! A gallery of the 'trek' progress or people doing their bingo squares in the breakroom makes for a great internal newsletter feature.

And don't forget a 'Wooden Spoon' prize for the person who tried the hardest but came last. It keeps the spirit light!

The Wooden Spoon! Brilliant. Thanks everyone, I feel much more prepared for the meeting with my manager tomorrow. Cheers!