Most workplace wellness challenges stem from good intentions.

Whether it’s a hydration challenge or a 5k marathon, employers just want to encourage employees to adopt healthier habits because that results in lower company costs. When done right, the challenge can improve employees’ physical and mental health outcomes, leading to a healthier and happier workforce.

But run them the wrong way, and you’ll see the opposite effect.

Take a weight loss challenge focusing solely on pounds shed or miles logged, for instance. Instead of boosting holistic well-being, such a program can inadvertently promote body shaming, perpetuate diet culture obsessions, and continue to overlook cultural and ability differences.

So, how do you create empowering, energizing wellness experiences for every employee? How do you avoid wasting investment dollars while actively improving your workforce’s holistic health and morale?

Here are the top wellness challenge mistakes to watch out for:

1. Having an Overly Narrow Focus

Human beings are multifaceted; they’re mind, body, and spirit. When any of these pillars is wobbly, a person will struggle in their daily work. Unfortunately, many employee wellness programs ignore that.

As noted by Gallup, most wellness initiatives fixate solely on weight loss or step counts and entirely miss the bigger picture of holistic well-being. This narrow lens excludes employees with different abilities, health conditions, and personal situations.

For example, those with disabilities may be unable to participate in step challenges. New mothers may not have the bandwidth for intense fitness goals.

Solution: Broaden the scope of the wellness challenge to a well-rounded approach promoting overall wellness.  Instead of a one-size-fits-all challenge, consider a physical activity that can be modified for all ability levels, stress management, quality sleep, mental/emotional health, and other pillars of well-being.

2. Lack of Inclusivity

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not new vocabulary in the modern workplace. In fact, 72% of business leaders in a World 50 Group study report they increased their DEI investments in the past year.  

In wellness, your goal should be creating and fostering programs that give every team member an equal chance to participate and benefit. A challenge that promotes strict dieting, intense workout regimens, or other rigid protocols does the opposite. 

Instead of encouraging participation, such initiatives often overlook the realities of cultural differences, disabilities, health conditions, and varied personal situations employees face. In turn, this can promote unhealthy behaviors or make large portions of your workforce feel excluded.

Solution:

• Design an inclusive challenge from the ground up that meets employees where they are in their wellness journeys.
• Offer employees autonomy instead of mandating activities. Provide a degree of flexibility and choice – whether it’s selecting personal goals, opting into different programs, or choosing their own wellness path.
• Offer activities, resources, and goals that are accessible, culturally sensitive, and can be tailored to individual circumstances like chronic health issues, disabilities, family obligations, etc. Strive to create a supportive environment that embraces diversity.

3. One-Off Programs Rather Than Cultural Shift

Instead of driving discernible change, these are temporary band-aid solutions. They don’t become ingrained into the company’s core vision and values. Once the challenge ends, people return to their previous lifestyles until the challenge is reintroduced.

As we’ve noted before, true wellness requires an ongoing, comprehensive cultural evolution that becomes woven into the organization’s ethos. It should reflect the company’s policies and practices, permeate physical workspaces, and manifest in the perks/benefits offered.

Even isolated challenges must be directly linked to permanent positive changes like:

• Overhauling cafeteria/vending offerings with nutritious options
• Creating walking trails, standing desks, and other activity-permissive design
• Implementing unlimited paid time off to discourage workplace burnout
• Offering generous mental health counseling benefits
• Adjusting workloads and schedules to accommodate personal commitments
• Actively destigmatizing things like therapy, struggles with addiction, etc.

Pro Tip: No matter how intensive, a short 8-week steps contest alone will inevitably backslide without comprehensive, lasting cultural reform. Start with a healthy workplace culture, and wellness will follow.

4. Creating an Atmosphere of Unhealthy Competition

As the name implies, a wellness challenge involves some form of competition. No matter the scope, the expected result is for employees to overcome some hurdles and achieve a specific outcome. Still, while a bit of friendly competition can motivate some people, wellness challenges that heavily emphasize pitting employees against each other often backfire.

For instance, offering lavish prizes or bonuses for “winners” can promote an unhealthy obsession with besting colleagues rather than focusing on balanced self-improvement. This can then breed toxic mindsets like disordered eating, overexercising, and a “no pain, no gain” mentality.

Solution:

• Foster a supportive community where employees uplift each other’s journeys.
• Create team-based activities allowing colleagues to share tips, encourage one another, and celebrate collective wins.
• Emphasize sustainable lifestyle changes over short-term individual competition.

5. Not Providing Enough Education and Resources

Simply having participants log steps or weight fluctuations does little to drive long-term behavior change. To be truly impactful, wellness initiatives must be sustainable and forward-looking. Don’t just tell employees to “eat better and exercise more.” Equip them with actionable resources like meal plans, healthy recipes, workout videos for all levels, guides for managing stress, sleeping tips, and more. Offer seminars, workshops, and one-on-one coaching covering the multifaceted aspects of whole-person wellness.

The more you can make your program a comprehensive repository of credible, customizable wellness education, the better you can empower employees to build sustainable healthy habits.

6. Failing to Get Leadership Buy-In

To quote an ancient saying, “A fish rots from the head down.” In short, your wellness challenge will likely be dead on arrival if top leaders don’t fully embrace and embody the principles themselves.

Why? Employees take cues from executives and managers – if they see leaders skipping wellness events, continuing unhealthy habits like sedentary desk lunches, or making jokes that undermine the program, it communicates a lack of authentic commitment.

Solution:

Encourage leaders to do more than just ensure participation. Empower them to be outspoken champions who model healthy behaviors. Let them share personal wellness stories that spotlight the importance of self-care as a pillar for wellness instead of an indulgent or unproductive activity.

8. Not Evaluating and Tweaking Over Time

Running the same cookie-cutter weight loss challenge or step contest year after year is a missed opportunity at best and tone-deaf to evolving employee needs at worst.

Like any key business strategy or initiative, wellness requires continuous evaluation, measurement, and optimization over time based on data and feedback. Regularly solicit honest employee feedback through surveys, focus groups, or other listening channels to future-proof your wellness challenges.

• What did they find most/least valuable or engaging?
• What were the biggest friction points or sources of confusion?
• Which communities or individuals felt underserved or excluded?

Additionally, closely track quantitative outcomes. Note participation rates, healthcare cost trends, productivity data, and other metrics that could indicate positive or negative impacts. Evolve the programming and goals based on where you see traction or shortcomings.

Conclusion

For wellness challenges to be truly effective, they must be both inclusive and engaging. An inclusive approach ensures that all participants, regardless of age, ability, or background, can access and benefit from the initiatives. By creating a welcoming environment that accommodates diverse needs and encourages broad participation, organizations foster a sense of belonging and community. Engaging challenges capture participants’ interest and motivate them to actively participate, leading to more significant health improvements and sustained behavior change. When wellness challenges are thoughtfully designed to include and captivate everyone, they not only enhance individual well-being but also contribute to a more cohesive and supportive workplace culture.

If you’d like to learn more about wellness challenges or best practices when it comes to running them, please feel free to schedule time with our Benefits Specialists!