Health Enhancement Systems https://hesonline.com/ Creating Connection. Thriving Together. Tue, 14 Oct 2025 17:20:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/hesonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/hes-icon.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Health Enhancement Systems https://hesonline.com/ 32 32 172726958 Walking Group Benefits: Elevating Employee Well-Being and Performance https://hesonline.com/blog/program-best-practices/walking-group-benefits-elevating-employee-well-being-and-performance/ Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:43:39 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=57683 4-minute read
Walking groups are a great way to encourage healthier habits in the workplace. They’re easy to launch, inclusive, and require only a decent pair of shoes and comfortable clothes.
This guide tells you how to integrate walking groups and why they’re a cost-effective, enjoyable way to enhance employee well-being and workplace culture.

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4-minute read

Walking groups are a great way to encourage healthier habits in the workplace. They’re easy to launch, inclusive, and require only a decent pair of shoes and comfortable clothes. 

This guide tells you how to integrate walking groups and why they’re a cost-effective, enjoyable way to enhance employee well-being and workplace culture.

Why a Walking Group at Work Matters

When it comes to workplace wellness, the simplest ideas are often the most powerful. Walking groups may seem like a small step, but the impacts are plentiful. Beyond the obvious physical health perks, walking at work supports mental well-being, strengthens bonds, and helps employees return to their jobs more focused and energized by…  

  • Decreasing health risks: Performing any job with low physical activity raises the risk of chronic health issues. A walking group encourages regular breaks that support circulation, posture, and overall energy.
  • Uplifting mental outlook: Stepping outside with a walking group gives people a quick change of scenery and a mental reset. Even a few minutes of walking at work can improve mood, creativity, and resilience.
  • Building stronger connections: Walking together links employees across varied departments and roles. Even an informal conversation during a walk can deepen comfort levels and collaboration.
  • Reducing barriers: Walking requires no special gear and suits nearly all fitness levels. Whether it’s a brisk walk outdoors or even a few laps in the hallway when it’s raining, walking at work is a most accessible wellness strategy.
  • Offering a strong ROI: Having healthier, more engaged employees means fewer sick days, higher productivity, and improved retention.


Read more: Walking for Mental Health: A Simple, Fun Way to Support Employee Wellness.  

Walking Group Advantages for Employees and Employers

A walking group isn’t good just for employees; it can benefit entire organizations. From boosting an individual’s energy and focus to reinforcing teams, walking at work is a win-win.

Employers can anticipate seeing increased productivity, fewer absences and injuries, decreased healthcare costs over time, better employee engagement, and a stronger organization identity. 

By supporting both employee well-being and organization performance, a walking group delivers something positive to everyone in the workplace.

Implementing Your Workplace Walking Group

Encouraging walking at work through structured yet flexible programs can cement an environment that values wellness. Try these steps:

  1. Secure leadership support. Raise interest by showcasing leader participation. Managers who join the group and schedule walking meetings help set the right tone.
  2. Use a clear yet flexible structure. Pick times that fit naturally into schedules, like during lunch or breaks, and define frequency. But it’s fine to send a spontaneous message asking if anyone wants to walk around the block at 2:30, too.
  3. Communicate your plans. Promote your walking group by email, newsletters, or posters by highlighting the benefits, then sharing success stories to build excitement.
  4. Make participation easy. Welcome all paces and fitness levels. Also be sure to provide route maps and create indoor options for bad weather. 
  5. Embed walking groups into existing wellness activities. Track attendance, reward participation, and highlight walking at work during other well-being initiatives.
  6. Celebrate your success. Applaud milestones including participation goals and group achievements while gathering feedback to monitor how employees regard the walks and whether you need adjustments.


Read more: From Challenge to Change: 15 Ways to Build on Successful Walking Challenges.

Walktober Can Set Your Walking Group on the Right Path

October is the perfect time to launch or refresh a walking group, and our popular Walktober program — in its 23rd year — makes it easy to take advantage of everything the season offers. The month-long challenge inspires walking at work (and beyond) by encouraging participants to track steps, enjoy the vibrant fall colors, and celebrate progress together.

Here’s why Walktober pairs perfectly with workplace walking groups:

  • It’s motivational — Seasonal themes and engaging visuals are built in to keep employees energized and moving
  • It’s clear on the rewards — From office hallways and parking lots to local trails and sidewalks, all walking counts
  • It’s social — Team challenges are built to be fun and creative, which fosters camaraderie as well as accountability
  • It’s turnkey — HES will provide everything your organization needs, including communication, marketing materials, support, and reporting.

By combining a year-round walking group with Walktober, you can add consistency and annual anticipation, making walking at work an enjoyable, sustainable habit.

Free White Paper download: Mental Health in Motion: Walking Your Way to a Healthier, More Resilient Workforce.

Need Help With Your Walking Group? 

Let us know. For more than 30 years, HES has been helping organizations of all shapes and sizes embrace healthy initiatives. Contact us here today or call 800.326.2317 to learn more about how challenges like Walktober can achieve your workplace wellness goals.

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]]> 57683 Top 10 Wellness Challenge Ideas for Halloween https://hesonline.com/blog/engagement/top-10-wellness-challenge-ideas-for-halloween/ Wed, 01 Oct 2025 21:07:56 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=57062 Whether it’s extra steps, smart snack swaps, or a mindful pause, these activities help employees enjoy the season without the sugar crash.

1. Step Into the Shadows
Encourage participants to log a set number of steps daily — reminding them that even the “walking dead” keep moving...

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Blog /
  • Engagement

Top 10 Wellness Challenge Ideas for Halloween

Whether it’s extra steps, smart snack swaps, or a mindful pause, these activities help employees enjoy the season without the sugar crash.

1

Step Into the Shadows

Encourage participants to log a set number of steps daily — reminding them that even the “walking dead” keep moving.

2

Pumpkin Power

Host a mini workout using pumpkins as weights — think squats, lifts, and curls.

Smiling pumpkin
3
Spider

Creepy Crawly Core

Promote short daily body weight moves like planks, bridges, or crunches. Rename them with spooky flair (Zombie Plank, Spider Crawl).

Monster Miles

Track walking, running, or biking miles throughout the week and see who can outpace the werewolves.

5
Mummy stretching

Stretch Like a Mummy

Lead daily stretching breaks to “unwrap” tight muscles.

6

Fright-Free Snacks

Challenge employees to swap a candy serving for a fruit or veggie each day.

Ghost

Boo Your Stress

Offer a mindfulness minute challenge: pause daily to breathe, reset, and lower stress.

8

Costume-Inspired Moves

Assign fun exercises tied to classic costumes, like 10 Frankenstein walks or 15 witch’s broomstick lunges.

9

Trick-or-Treat Trail

Organize a lunchtime group walk, with costumes or spooky accessories to make it festive.

10

Haunted Housework​

Turn chores or office tidying into a step competition — even cleaning cobwebs counts as movement.

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]]> 57062 AI Tools for Employee Wellness Leaders: Work Smarter, Not Harder https://hesonline.com/blog/industry-insights/ai-tools-for-employee-wellness-leaders-work-smarter-not-harder/ Tue, 23 Sep 2025 17:28:01 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=56875 10-minute read
Organizations continue to advance workplace wellness and overall well-being through innovative strategies that leverage technology. AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini (called models or chatbots) are changing how these wellness industry approaches work. They can efficiently handle common tasks – freeing you to focus on approaches, collaboration, and the creative problem solving that requires your expertise.

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10-minute read

Do you wonder whether Artificial Intelligence belongs in your work and, if so, where to begin?

Organizations continue to advance workplace wellness and overall well-being through innovative strategies that leverage technology. AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini (called models or chatbots) are changing how these wellness industry approaches work. They can efficiently handle common tasks – freeing you to focus on approaches, collaboration, and the creative problem solving that requires your expertise.

The technology’s increased integration into processes across industries makes familiarity with AI tools essential for career development and job performance. Whether you’re skeptical, curious, or have already taken the plunge, understanding how AI can support employee health and wellness programs will help you make more informed decisions. 

Using AI in employee wellness program management can:

  • Strengthen your program’s impact on well-being
  • Drive success by aligning wellness initiatives with broader organization outcomes
  • Enhance employee engagement by enabling more personalized and timely wellness communications, helping to foster a more connected, motivated workforce.

First Steps: AI Tools for Starting Out

(You can skip this section and jump to whatever level feels appropriate to your needs.)

If you’re new to AI, like many professionals in the wellness industry, the best place to begin is with tasks you already know well. This lets you evaluate its output against your own expertise and build confidence in the technology’s strengths and limitations. 

Examples of beginner use cases:

  • Streamline wellness communications. AI can help draft emails, newsletters, and social media posts, then refine them based on your feedback. It’s particularly useful for adapting the same message for different audiences – like turning a formal announcement you’ve written into a casual instant message.

  • Brainstorm. Rather than staring at a blank page, you can prompt AI to generate initial ideas for you to evaluate, combine, or customize. The key is to provide context about your organization’s unique needs and wellness program goals.

  • Summarize documents and reports. Once you upload lengthy vendor reports, health research studies, or survey results, AI can extract key findings or create summaries. (Be sure to see the section below on navigating risk and ethical considerations.)

  • Learn new skills or refresh old ones. AI can provide step-by-step tutorials for software you use regularly, explain statistical concepts relevant to health and wellness data, or help you understand new trends in fitness, nutrition, and mental health support.

  • Get personalized help with familiar tools. Whether you need Excel formulas for tracking wellness goals, PowerPoint design suggestions, or help organizing data, AI can tailor recommendations to your needs.

Beginners: Try This

A prompt is the question or instruction you give to the chatbot. 

Start with a basic brainstorming task using this sample: “You’re a wellness manager at a technology company with 10,000 employees – some remote, some at 50- to 100-person sites. Suggest 20 fun, evidence-based programs to promote physical health and fitness that accommodate different work schedules and locations. Include ideas related to onsite and virtual fitness classes, gym memberships, active commuting incentives, and challenges that encourage physical activity. Tailor program ideas to different fitness levels to ensure inclusivity and motivate all employees.”

You can even provide information about HES challenges and ask AI to suggest a selection or create a wellness program calendar.

Always diligently confirm AI-generated information. It sometimes produces incorrect responses (known as hallucinations) that are very convincing.

Next Steps: AI for Intermediate Users

When you’re comfortable with basic AI interactions, you can tackle more complex wellness program tasks.

Examples of intermediate use cases:

  • Create and analyze surveys. AI can help design wellness program evaluation surveys, suggest formats, and assess quantitative or qualitative responses when presented in a clear and organized manner. 

  • Develop training materials. Whether you need interactive wellness workshops, learning aids, or video scripts, AI can compose initial drafts and/or provide feedback on drafts you’ve created.

  • Build program resources. You can ask AI to generate health quizzes, FAQs, and reference materials for employee wellness program participants. AI can help create content on emotional well-being, fitness routines, nutrition, and other health habits in ways that resonate with different employee populations.

  • Streamline vendor management. AI makes it easy to get side-by-side vendor proposal comparisons and evaluation criteria that match your organization’s wellness priorities. If policies permit, upload relevant information from proposals and ask AI to create charts highlighting important differences. 

Intermediate Users: Try This

Choose a fitness program AI suggested in the “Beginners: Try This” section above, then ask for detailed implementation guidance: 

  • Request a step-by-step timeline, resource requirements, communication templates, and an evaluation plan that tracks improvements in overall health plus specific health benefits these programs provide
  • Specify that the strategy should accommodate different fitness levels 
  • Have AI create a workflow diagram you can share with other leaders and stakeholders; if you choose an HES challenge, your account manager can support this process.

To improve future interactions, pay attention to what AI does more effectively than traditional approaches and where it falls short.

Leaps and Bounds: AI for Advanced Users

The range of tasks you can delegate to AI is vast… expanding every day as the technology and users evolve, including wellness program problem solving, strategic planning, and developing a holistic approach adaptable to varied needs.

Examples of advanced use cases:

  • Craft compelling narratives. AI technology can help identify the most persuasive ways to present data to stakeholder groups, illustrating how wellness programs play a meaningful role in organization success.

  • Get AI-powered support for health and wellness program initiatives. It can help you plan chatbot implementation, create conversation flows, and produce content that makes automated wellness support more effective. Though some people’s encounters with AI-based support may seem unsatisfactory today, the technology constantly improves. Before long, participants may value the option to receive personalized service from AI-powered chatbots.

  • Analyze data. Even if you don’t have access to raw data, integrating aggregate values based on health risk assessments, engagement surveys, vendor reports, and participation metrics can reveal insights about employee well-being to help future wellness programs. (As always, stay current with your organization’s policies about AI use.) Proceed with caution: Consumer-facing AI tools are, to date, limited in their ability to precisely integrate and interpret large datasets. 

  • Experiment with deep research AI tools. These applications act as virtual research assistants, capable of gathering, synthesizing, and interpreting information from multiple sources to yield detailed, actionable reports and insights. 

Advanced Users: Try This

  • Identify a complex challenge your employee wellness programs face – low participation rates, difficulty communicating with hard-to-reach populations, insufficient mental health support, or a need for more personalized wellness programs. Start with a broad prompt asking AI to map out a multifaceted strategy with step-by-step guidance you can adapt. Use follow-up prompts to dive deeper into specific aspects and explore how to solve problems that may surface during implementation.

  • Build a wellness dashboard using Excel or similar software with AI as your tutor. You’ll get help to brainstorm the most important metrics, suggest layouts that tell a clear story, and get through the technical steps. Many AI tools can advise you on how to troubleshoot problems – like error messages – as they arise.

With these exercises – or similar experiments based on your needs and interests – you’ll sharpen prompting skills and gain insight into AI’s potential. Move forward as you make the most of its contributions in: 

  • Tailoring recommendations

  • Anticipating issues

  • Improving data integration

  • Supporting overall employee wellness program management.

Navigate AI Risks and Ethical Considerations

While AI offers untapped potential to sharpen efficiency, conscientious wellness industry professionals must weigh ethical considerations and develop practices to protect employers as well as program participants. As a wellness professional it’s essential that you adhere to – and, in some cases, go beyond – regulations/organization policies governing: 

  • Data privacy

  • Proper use of healthcare information

  • Workplace standards 

  • Proprietary information and intellectual property

  • Using or prohibiting certain AI technology.

Additional Risk Management Strategies

  • Use only de-identified or aggregate data when working with AI tools. 

  • Double-check all factual outputs against reliable sources. 

  • Consider disclosing AI assistance or modify content to make it your own. 

  • Seek to mitigate bias by being consistently alert. For example, information AI is learning from may already reflect biases that marginalize populations based on age, gender, race. 

  • Never rely on AI for sensitive communications.

Polish Your Prompting 

The quality of AI output depends largely on the quality of your input. Effective prompting skill improves with practice and can dramatically increase AI’s usefulness for wellness program management.

Try these tips for productive prompts:

  • Start with clarity, then add complexity. Begin with a clear, specific request that includes essential context, then use follow-up prompts to refine and expand the output. 

  • Break complex tasks into steps. Don’t ask AI to “write a comprehensive program proposal”; instead brainstorm key elements first, create an outline, then develop each section individually.

  • Use AI to improve its own work. Ask follow-up questions like “How would you improve this response?” or “Rewrite this with a more professional tone” to refine output.

  • Maintain context across AI conversations. Copy primary information forward when continuing a multipart project: “Here’s the outline you provided – now expand section 2 with specific implementation steps.”

In Effective Prompts for AI: The Essentials, MIT Sloan advises: 

“The promise of AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and others, lies in their ability to adapt and learn from your carefully crafted inputs… Yet, we must remain vigilant about potential flaws, biases, and the implications of over-relying on these systems without critical scrutiny.”

Stay Ahead

Adopt AI at your own pace, scale with intention, and remain mindful of AI’s shortcomings along with the ethical considerations.

The question isn’t whether AI technology will become part of wellness program management – it’s how you’ll stay in the forefront by thoughtfully and effectively integrating this technology into your health and wellness solutions and your professional practice. 

As you build skills, you’ll harness AI’s growing capabilities while expanding your personal expertise – together creating wellness programs that produce real results. Effective AI-driven wellness program management can support employees by providing resources and initiatives that foster a supportive environment – leading to better health outcomes, higher productivity, and overall organization success.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I introduce AI into my work as a health and wellness program leader?

Start with simpler tasks like drafting participant communications, brainstorming program ideas, or summarizing research reports. Choose an AI platform and practice with basic prompts before moving to more complex applications. It can then assist in managing wellness programs that reduce workplace stress, promote work-life balance, and accommodate diverse needs through custom well-being initiatives. 

Which AI tool is best?

The best AI tool depends on your specific needs and comfort level. Start with whichever platform feels most intuitive, then explore others as skills develop. Try the free versions of multiple systems to see which interface and response style work best for your workflow.

How can AI be used for program promotion?

AI can boost program promotion by tailoring messages to specific employee groups, creating engaging content, and developing eye-catching visuals for posters and displays. For example, it can help you design fitness challenge announcements that appeal to both beginners and experienced participants or unique messaging for remote vs. onsite employees. AI also can analyze past campaign data to suggest how you can optimize timing and frequency of promotions.

How is AI changing the wellness industry?

For now, AI’s primary impact on the wellness industry is automating routine tasks while increasing the capacity of wellness professionals. In the long run, it has the potential to revolutionize employee wellness by personalizing recommendations to participants, streamlining program management, and putting advanced data analysis in the hands of leaders like you.

Bob Merberg
Bob Merberg is an independent consultant with 20+ years in managing employee well-being programs. He specializes in helping employers increase engagement and health outcomes through innovative programs, communication, workplace environment, and organization development strategies. Bob’s well-being program evaluation results have been featured at wellness conferences and in various media outlets.

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]]> 56875 Building Strong Partnerships to Strengthen Employee Wellness Programs https://hesonline.com/blog/engagement/building-strong-partnerships-to-strengthen-employee-wellness-programs/ Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:49:51 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=56802 4-minute read
Today’s employees expect wellness programs to be seamless, efficient, and easy to use. One of the most effective ways to deliver that experience is through partnerships — with internal teams like safety, HR, communications, training, and medical as well as external resources like hospitals, nonprofits, and community fitness centers.

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4-minute read

Today’s employees expect wellness programs to be seamless, efficient, and easy to use. One of the most effective ways to deliver that experience is through partnerships — with internal teams like safety, HR, communications, training, and medical as well as external resources like hospitals, nonprofits, and community fitness centers. These collaborations reduce redundancies, expand reach, boost participation, and improve outcomes.

At HES, we’ve seen partnerships strengthen the success of our wellness challenges by helping organizations deliver consistent, engaging, and impactful employee experiences. Strategic partnerships also contribute to a holistic approach to employee wellness, supporting both physical and mental well-being. Ultimately, these efforts help foster a positive culture focused on health and wellness.

Why Partnerships Matter in Employee Well-Being

Combining forces creates a more connected approach to wellness. Effective partnerships:

  • Reduce duplicated efforts across departments
  • Present a unified, engaging message
  • Increase engagement and support well-being through collaborative wellness initiatives
  • Improve program promotion and participation
  • Enhance customer service by meeting employees where they are.


The result? Effective partnerships help create a supportive environment and contribute to success through a wellness strategy that is intentional, personalized, and aligned with organization goals.

5 Questions to Explore Before Forming Partnerships

Ask these key questions internally and with potential partners:

1. What are your shared goals?
Are you aiming for improved employee health, enhanced performance, or increased productivity? Successful partnerships require clearly written, measurable goals — not vague mission statements.

2. Who is the participant?
Is your focus employees, spouses, dependents, or managers? Defining the target audience helps both sides create programs that resonate.

3. What is the participation cycle?
Different groups engage at different times. For instance, new employees may be in training during their first 6 months, while tenured staff may be more likely to join walking challenges or annual team events. Track employee participation and engagement survey responses to assess employee involvement and gather feedback for continuous improvement.

4. How should you structure promotions?
Too many competing messages (from health promotion, medical, EAP, and more) can be overwhelming. Coordinated communication ensures wellness messaging lands with impact, especially when integrating employee assistance programs and well-being initiatives into your strategies.

5. What’s your overall message?
A partnership should feel seamless. The goal is to deliver greater value together than apart — whether that’s cost savings, convenience, or improved program effectiveness. A clear message supports well-being programs and contributes to employee retention as well as program success.

How to Form Effective Partnerships in Employee Wellness

Once you’ve identified potential partners, follow these steps to strengthen collaboration:

1. Communicate needs
Start with clarity. Complete this statement together: “In our partnership we want…” to identify shared health promotion and wellness activities as part of your collaboration.

2. Discuss values
Align core values, or the partnership may struggle. Begin with: “The most important things in our programs are…” and look for common ground, including aligning on the use of wellness incentives to motivate and engage employees.

3. Define roles
Document who will be responsible for what. Because clarity prevents confusion, assign specific tasks for organizing and tracking employee wellness challenges.

4. Describe success
Agree on markers of success: participation rates, employee feedback, or improved health outcomes, as well as measuring the impact of wellness challenge participation and how these activities challenge employees and encourage employees to adopt healthier habits.

5. Draft and sign an agreement
Outline the partnership’s goals, roles, timelines, and evaluation methods. This doesn’t need to be formal or intimidating… just a natural way to address all those involved. Sign it and revisit regularly.

The Win-Win of Employee Wellness Partnerships

Partnerships don’t have to deliver equal benefits to each side. What matters most is that every partner understands their value, commits to the shared plan, and works toward wellness outcomes that benefit employees.

At HES, we’ve seen that when organizations align their goals, values, and communication strategies, employee wellness initiatives are more engaging, sustainable, and dynamic. If you’re ready to bring your wellness strategy to life with innovative, effective programs, explore our wellness challenges — designed to spark participation and create lasting positive change.

 

Dean Witherspoon
Chief collaborator, nudger, tinkerer; leads the most inventive team creating well-being and sustainable living programs. Reach out if you’d like to talk about employee well-being, emotional fitness, or eco-friendly living.

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]]> 56802 HES Unveils Go Gold 2026 — A Winter Games-Inspired Employee Wellness Challenge to Spark Participation and Team Spirit https://hesonline.com/press-release/hes-unveils-go-gold-2026-a-winter-games-inspired-employee-wellness-challenge-to-spark-participation-and-team-spirit/ Tue, 05 Aug 2025 17:06:00 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=55457 MIDLAND, MI — HES, the industry leader in employee wellness challenges, today announced the launch of Go Gold 2026, an Olympic-themed program designed to elevate physical activity and connection in the workplace. Inspired by the upcoming Winter Games in Milano Cortina, this global Winter Olympics wellness challenge motivates employees to stay active, support one another, […]

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MIDLAND, MI — HES, the industry leader in employee wellness challenges, today announced the launch of Go Gold 2026, an Olympic-themed program designed to elevate physical activity and connection in the workplace. Inspired by the upcoming Winter Games in Milano Cortina, this global Winter Olympics wellness challenge motivates employees to stay active, support one another, and create lasting healthy habits — making it an ideal winter corporate wellness activity. Perfect for hybrid, remote, and onsite teams, this wellness challenge makes it easy to foster connection and encourage daily physical activity across departments and time zones. Watch this video to see Go Gold in action.


“Go Gold 2026 combines the thrill of international competition with the daily motivation employees need to thrive — personally and professionally,” said Dean Witherspoon, CEO of HES. “It’s a powerful way to start the year strong, boost morale, and build a culture of well-being.”

Participants log physical activity and earn virtual bronze, silver, and gold medals based on their movement levels each day — from walking and cycling to swimming, dancing, and yoga. With immersive winter sports videos and images, a user-friendly platform, and team-based features, Go Gold is engineered to drive high participation and sustained engagement over 4 or 6 weeks.

“We originally launched Go Gold in 2024 for the Summer Games in Paris, and the response was incredible,” said Witherspoon. “More than 52,000 participants logged over 15.7 billion steps, which exceeded all expectations. That enthusiasm fueled the creation of Go Gold 2026 — a Winter Games edition designed to bring even more energy, camaraderie, and movement into the workplace.”

Program Highlights:

  • Winter sports-themed images, highlights, and rotating home screen features

  • Medals earned daily: Bronze (6000 steps), Silver (8000), Gold (10,000)

  • Real-time team competition and leaderboard visibility

  • Built-in device syncing, milestone badges, and recipe library

  • Social Wall, Friends feature, and organization-wide progress dashboards

  • Multiple customization options available at no additional charge


“The energy around this program is contagious — and so is the sense of accomplishment participants feel when they hit their goals, support teammates, and see their organization climb the leaderboard,” said Emily Doyle, Go Gold 2026 Program Manager. “We’ve designed every detail to be intuitive and inspiring.”

Organizations can roll out Go Gold 2026 beginning January 2026. Whether you’re looking to boost employee engagement, launch a new year wellness kickoff, or introduce a fun and flexible company step challenge, Go Gold offers a turnkey solution with measurable results. To learn more, preview the program video, and register for a live group demo on Wednesday, August 6 at 12 PM ET, visit GoGold2026.com.

About HES
HES creates best-in-class employee wellness challenges that help organizations energize their workforce, strengthen culture, and build lasting healthy habits. With programs like 10K-A-Day, Walktober, and Good Nurtured, HES engages millions of participants across industries every year. Learn more at HESonline.com.

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]]> 55457 Walking for Mental Health: A Simple, Fun Way to Support Employee Wellness https://hesonline.com/blog/program-best-practices/walking-for-mental-health-employee-wellness/ Thu, 17 Jul 2025 14:14:43 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=55815 7-minute read
Inspiring your workforce to adopt a daily walking habit is the easiest, most cost-effective, and enjoyable way to enhance overall employee well-being. In addition to the wide range of physical health benefits, walking for exercise elevates mental/emotional health, too – playing a role in preventing or alleviating conditions like depression, anxiety, and high stress.

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7-minute read

Inspiring your workforce to adopt a daily walking habit is the easiest, most cost-effective, and enjoyable way to enhance overall employee well-being. In addition to the wide range of physical health benefits, walking for exercise elevates mental/emotional health, too – playing a role in preventing or alleviating conditions like depression, anxiety, and high stress.

The human burden of depression, anxiety, and excessive stress is substantial – impairing function, diminishing quality of life, and reducing work capacity. Rates for these conditions and all mental disorders are staggering:

  • 1 in 5 adults will experience a mental illness this year – and in any given year1
  • 50% of people worldwide will have at least 1 mental health disorder in the course of their lives; mood disorders (depression, anxiety) are the most common mental illnesses2
  • 44% of US adults experience anxiety symptoms3
  • 29% of US adults will develop depression.4

Mental disorders negatively impact employee health and employer performance. The associated losses from absenteeism, presenteeism, burnout, and healthcare expenses are likely costing your organization a lot of money. 

Estimate Depression Costs 

Use this Depression Calculator from the Center for Workplace Mental Health to estimate what your organization pays annually due to this widespread mental health disorder.

 

Workplace Wellness: Promote Employee Mental Health Through Walking

Ensuring employees have access to mental healthcare is vital. But so is investing time and resources into reducing demand for these services. A healthy lifestyle supports both mental and physical well-being; that’s where walking comes in.

Walking is simple. With just comfortable shoes and clothing, most people can get up and move — in neighborhoods or parks, city blocks, or on a playground; any safe place will do. This is part of walking’s appeal as a mental well-being initiative: It’s simple… no special skills needed. Individuals can make modifications to match their physical ability, goals, and preferences:

  • Easy breezy. Brisk walking offers the most benefits, but a light stroll is worthwhile, too. Some folks balk at the idea of sweating during work; they could keep the pace slower and save more intense walking for before/after worktime.
  • Short and sweet. Fitness beginners can start with short periods at an easy pace and build from there — being active, even in small doses, makes a positive difference. A 10-minute walk, done 2-3 times in a day, offers many of the same benefits as a single 20-30 minute walk.
  • Heat’s on. More-fit participants can elevate intensity by walking uphill, climbing stairwell or stadium steps, or doing faster-paced intervals. Extending time or distance can also increase the workload. 
  • Action-equipped. People with mobility challenges may be able to walk with assistive devices (like a cane or walker) or in a lap pool.

Taking even a short walk boosts creativity as well as mood. This basic activity is also a pathway to more social connection and enjoyment of nature; both come with additional mental/emotional well-being benefits. Encourage walking groups while highlighting other well-being habits that promote mental health: increasing vegetable and fruit servings, getting 7-9 hours of sleep, and reducing non-work screen time, for example.

“I felt refreshed after walking and it was good for not only my physical health but my mental health as well. Walking gave me the opportunity to clear my head before reacting on some stressful days. I feel accomplished.”

Kathleen S.
University of Rochester
Walktober participant

 

Inspire Stretch Goals for Employee Mental Health

Experiencing the mental/emotional and physical benefits of regular walking requires reaching beyond what employees are already doing:

  • Offer an annual walking-focused wellness challenge wrapped in a fun theme – like Walktober, Star Trak, 10K-A-Day, or Summertime. Wellness challenges are a key component of effective wellness initiatives, encouraging employee participation, fostering employee engagement, and supporting a culture of health.
  • A program with team/individual options and multiple levels that participants self-select — like 6000, 8000, or 10,000 steps/day — gives everyone the chance to push themselves and feel the payoffs.
  • Promote or sponsor 5K/10K/12K walking events. Registering and training with coworkers help strengthen motivation as well as social connection while working toward a shared goal.
  • Spotlight regional walking/hiking trails. Day hikes are a fun way to be active while enjoying time outdoors with friends and family.

Providing growth opportunities through these wellness challenges and events can help improve job satisfaction and support overall wellness for employees.

 

Winning Workplace Walking Groups 

Launching and supporting workplace walking groups couldn’t be easier. 

Walking groups can be:

  • Spontaneous. Using internal messaging channels helps make “hey, anyone want to walk at 10:30?” meetups an accepted norm. 
  • Organized. Wellness leaders can get things started with scheduled 15/30-minute breaktime walking groups and making routes/maps available. Once established, these groups can run themselves.
  • Grassroots. Employees naturally form in-person or virtual walking groups on their own. You can encourage this by sharing tips and testimonials. 
  • All of the above. A combination of walking group choices is helpful to suit different preferences and needs, so anyone interested in walking will have options. 

Getting to know colleagues in other departments by walking together helps employees feel more connected — enhancing well-being plus communication and retention. Walking groups also contribute to a supportive environment and promote social well-being by fostering team-building and a positive workplace culture. The fun, enjoyment, and feel-good benefits they experience help the mental/emotional health payoffs of walking and social connection spread throughout your organization. Participating in walking groups can help employees achieve better work life balance and quality of life by reducing stress and supporting overall well-being.

“I was suffering from stress and upon joining this event I started walking more. It helps to balance work and life and to reduce the stress a bit and feel more energetic. I will continue the same routine. Also we had a team of 10 and everyone took active participation in this event and all feel good about it… with better bonding in the team as well.”

Shrinivasa G.
Delta Air Lines
Walktober participant


A Workplace Culture of Walking Helps Employees Thrive

Investing in an organization-wide effort and fostering a workplace culture of walking can spark employees to maintain this resilience-building habit. In a world of uncertainty, a walking routine is something they can plan on… a daily uplifting gift to feel their best, to thrive in mind and body, on and off the job.

Employee Wellness and Lifestyle Medicine

The American College of Lifestyle Medicine identifies 6 behavioral pillars as a foundational approach to preventing and managing clinical conditions like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity. The pillars also play a significant role in mental/emotional well-being and reducing risk for disorders like depression and anxiety:

  • Physical activity — Making physical activity a consistent part of daily life
  • Nutrition — Eating a variety of fiber-filled, nutrient-dense, and antioxidant-rich mainly plant foods like whole (as well as minimally processed) vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds
  • Social connections — Strengthening and maintaining relationships as well as connections with others that enrich life with meaning and purpose
  • Restorative sleep — Striving for 7-9 hours of high-quality sleep
  • Stress management — Building a variety of stress-reducing behaviors into everyday life 
  • Avoidance of risky substances — Reducing/eliminating consumption of and exposure to any substances that cause harm through toxicity, addiction, physical damage, or other adverse side effects.


Adapted from American College of Lifestyle Medicine


Scientific evidence points to 2-way influences of mental/physical health within these pillars; health status and health behaviors affect each other. That’s why ongoing support for walking plus other healthy lifestyle behaviors is integral to any comprehensive workplace mental health effort.

1Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2022). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP22-07-01-005, NSDUH Series H-57). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2021-nsduh-annual-national-report.

2Queensland Brain Institute (2023). Half of world’s population will experience a mental health disorder. Harvard Medical School News & Research. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/half-worlds-population-will-experience-mental-health-disorder.

3Kavelaars. R., Ward, H., Modi, K.M., Mohandas, A. The burden of anxiety among a nationally representative US adult population. Journal of Affective Disorders, September 1, 2023, 1;336:81-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.069. Cited in Anxiety in the Workplace, Center for Workplace Mental Health, retrieved June 1, 2025.

4Witters, D. U.S. depression rates reach new highs. Gallup, May 17, 2023. Cited in Depression in the Workplace, Center for Workplace Mental Health, retrieved June 1, 2025.

5Abascal, L., Vela, A., Sugden, S., et al. (2022). Incorporating Mental Health Into Lifestyle Medicine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 16(5):570-576. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15598276221084250.

Mental Health in Motion: Walking Your Way to a Healthier, More Resilient Workforce

New White Paper!

See how step-based programs can reduce stress and boost mental wellbeing at work.

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Beth Shepard

Beth Shepard
Well-being consultant, educator, writer ｜National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach ｜Certified Lifestyle Medicine Coach｜ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist ｜25+ years in wellness ｜Jazz enthusiast.

The post Walking for Mental Health: A Simple, Fun Way to Support Employee Wellness appeared first on Health Enhancement Systems.

]]> 55815 Slashing Screen Time: Digital Detox Improves Employee Mental, Physical Health https://hesonline.com/blog/program-best-practices/slashing-screen-time-digital-detox-improves-employee-mental-physical-health/ Mon, 07 Jul 2025 12:21:27 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=55530 7-minute read
When was the last time you reached for your phone? Likely not long ago. Most of us get way too much screen time. And constant connectivity takes a staggering toll.

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7-minute read

When was the last time you reached for your phone? Likely not long ago. 

Most of us get way too much screen time. And constant connectivity takes a staggering toll: mental/physical well-being, quality of life, work performance, and relationships all suffer when we feel chained to devices. It’s no wonder more people are aiming to take regular non-work screen time breaks, cut back on usage, and increase time experiencing life offline.

Digital devices offer specific benefits and conveniences, both work-related and personal (we bet you’re reading this article on a mobile device). Reducing screen time wherever possible and practical, however, offers compelling employee well-being and productivity benefits. Digital detox — an extended non-work period away from or substantial reduction in screen time —is a great way to make this happen by: 

  • Breaking the habit of constant connection to non-work screens
  • Adopting a new habit of mindfulness around device use.

Why Reducing Non-Work Screen Time Matters

Screen Time by the Numbers


On average, US smartphone owners are on their phones 4.5 hours a day, checking them 144 times daily — an increase of 52% from 2022. For perspective, that’s equal to spending 31.5 hours a week, nearly 6 days a month, and almost 2.3 months a year looking at phone screens. 

The quality-of-life cost of too much screen time is substantial. Consider the priceless experiences we may be missing when we’re digitally distracted: 

  • Being fully present in the moment with those around us
  • Savoring ordinary and special moments 
  • Seeing the sunrise, sunset, or night sky
  • Noticing what’s new or delightful about our surroundings
  • Meeting/getting to know new people
  • Feeling complete mind/body relaxation and restoration
  • Paying attention to our own intuition, thoughts, and emotions.


Research underscores the impact on mental and physical health, with increased risk for:

  • Impaired learning and retention, problem solving, and decision making
  • Lower gray matter volume and early cognitive decline
  • Dementia and Parkinson’s disease
  • Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, stress, and addictions as well as lower self-esteem
  • Wrist, finger, neck, and back pain
  • Eye strain, headaches, blurred vision
  • Diminished sleep quality
  • Physical inactivity and related health problems
  • Loneliness, isolation, and emotional distance in relationships.


Read more: Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Adults.

Digital Detox Benefits

Screen/digital addiction describes extreme attachment to devices, resulting in excessive screen time with negative impact on health, work, and life. For many, even screen use below this level still interferes with well-being.

Helping your population reduce average daily non-work screen time may seem insurmountable – but the potential employee well-being benefits are compelling:

Elevated Mental/Physical Well-Being

  • Higher quality social connection
  • Stronger relationships
  • Increased physical activity
  • Improved sleep
  • Reduced depression
  • Less stress, tension, and isolation
  • Decreased eye, wrist, back, and neck strain
  • Healthier posture
  • Greater life satisfaction.


Enhanced Performance

  • Improved focus, thinking, creativity 
  • Higher job satisfaction and retention
  • Better work relationships
  • Greater productivity.
Inspiring Employees to Experiment With Digital Detox

Start With Yourself

Wellness leaders aren’t immune from the siren song of screens. Check data on your phone and other devices to better understand your own non-work patterns, then ask: 

  • Is my current level of screen time aligned with my values? My priorities?
  • What is this costing me in terms of health, productivity, and quality of life?
  • What are some easy ways I could step away from my devices?
  • How will I/my work, relationships, health benefit from less screen time?
  • Who would be a good support person as I make changes? What specific type of support would be helpful?


Apply What You Learn

Once you’ve reflected on your own screen time habits, set some specific action steps. For example: 

  • I’ll limit social media time to X minutes on X days a week.
  • When I reach for my phone, I’ll stop and identify what I’m feeling. Am I bored, stressed, anxious, lonely? Is there a better way to address this emotion?


Once you reduce and manage your own screen time, see what you learn. Use your insights to generate ideas for employee well-being programs/challenges and content.

Read more: How to Break Up With Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life.

7 Ways to Help Employees Reduce Non-Work Screen Time 

Algorithms are the main driver behind excessive screen time. They’re designed to keep us right there… spending money and consuming biased content. That’s why breaking the habit is so hard. A workplace digital detox can provide structure and social support to foster successful change. Invite employees to challenge themselves while participating at a level they choose. 

A few ideas:

  • Broadcast messaging about links between less screen time and better mental/physical health, brain function, job performance, and relationship well-being.
  • Encourage leaders to remind employees of the expectation to unplug from work-related screen time outside of work hours (as applicable to your organization). 
  • Promote seasonal Slash Screen Time weeks with a themed table in a high-traffic area, a lunchtime speaker, and fun ways to facilitate connection while engaging the senses — like group walks, a kickoff lunch, or displays featuring local artists’ works.
  • Give away bookmarks or magnets listing simple tips – establishing time boundaries for usage, setting screens to black and white, using focus filters, removing most apps from home screens, deleting social media for a day/week/month, charging devices overnight away from your sleep area, and switching to a single-function alarm clock. 
  • Launch a longer Swap Your Screen challenge. This could be a simple 2-3 week program with paper tracking for participants to tally up every time they shorten non-work screen time. Those achieving week-over-week reductions could drop their tally sheets in a box for a drawing. Encourage team formation for friendly competition and support.
  • Make less non-work screen time an activity in your next wellness challenge focused on mental or physical health.
  • Share testimonials illustrating how employees or teams experienced a digital detox and the difference it’s made.


Read more: 8 Tips to Reduce Screen Time for Adults.

Less Screen Time, More Meaningful Moments

Less screen time means more face-to-face interaction and meaningful connection, plus better performance, mental/physical well-being, and quality of life. We can all learn to better manage our time spent on devices. And we can begin swapping mindless, harmful routines for mindful, life-giving habits… right now. 

30 Ways to Enjoy Life More With Less Screen Time


Read more: Why Going Offline Might Save Us.

Beth Shepard

Beth Shepard
Well-being consultant, educator, writer ｜National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach ｜Certified Lifestyle Medicine Coach｜ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist ｜25+ years in wellness ｜Jazz enthusiast.

The post Slashing Screen Time: Digital Detox Improves Employee Mental, Physical Health appeared first on Health Enhancement Systems.

]]> 55530 Employee Wellness Challenge Reward Strategies https://hesonline.com/blog/engagement/employee-wellness-challenge-reward-strategies/ Thu, 19 Jun 2025 19:30:49 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=55322 10 minutes
First, let’s confirm the importance of workplace wellness programs and their role in encouraging healthy behaviors. These challenges are crucial to employee and employer well-being by promoting comprehensive initiatives for positive impact.

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10-minute read

First, let’s confirm the importance of workplace wellness programs and their role in encouraging healthy behaviors. These challenges are crucial to employee and employer well-being by promoting comprehensive initiatives for positive impact; examples: 

  • Helping employees set and achieve wellness goals and maintain a healthier lifestyle with consistent habits

  • Reducing healthcare costs, improving employee engagement, and augmenting the organization’s environment/reputation

  • Fostering commitment, social interaction, and community (especially for remote employees)

  • Focusing on varied well-being aspects — fitness, nutrition, mental health/emotional issues, personal finances, and more — to keep programs fresh and interesting for everyone

  • Addressing related areas such as stress management and healthy sleep habits, meditating/mindfulness, gratitude, and digital detox

  • Recognizing and raising the level of resilience in handling responsibilities along with work life balance

  • Building a culture of workplace health

  • Remaining inclusive by ensuring every employee has a way to participate and enjoy the results

  • Creating a positive work environment and boosting morale

  • Enhancing employee productivity and job satisfaction. 

Effective wellness programs are essential in gaining these numerous advantages for your organization and workers. 

The objective: Participants want to continue in your wellness activities because it makes them feel better in the moment while improving health and quality of life, long term. That’s why HES challenges are designed to work without the need for other rewards.

Read the research: https://hesonline.com/research/intrinsic-motivation/. 

But there’s no denying smart wellness incentives can drive interest and add to the fun — increasing registration as well as employee success while boosting participation and engagement. With that in mind, we outline the most effective incentive ideas — and point out a few approaches you may want to avoid.

In an ideal world, you’d have an unlimited incentive budget. Because you don’t, these strategies work well (sometimes better) when awarded randomly to a predetermined amount of participants rather than for everyone who meets the criteria.

Take Advantage of Every Reward Phase

Let each part of the program be an opportunity for encouraging employees while challenging them to stay engaged and motivated.

Signup

Registration rewards may attract some just looking for the carrot, with no (initial) intention of real participation. Reduce the risk by keeping the value small and branding it with your program name/logo. For example, if you’re promoting Colorful Choices, a branded shopping tote, which can be purchased in quantity for less than $2 each, accomplishes 3 things:

  • Advertises the program when participants take it back to their work area for others to see

  • Reminds them of the health goal when they use it while shopping for produce

  • Becomes a subtle accountability nudge: I’ve got this thing, now I better follow through.

If your budget doesn’t allow everyone to receive a signup incentive, consider offering it to the first 50, 100, or whatever number you can afford. If you have multiple locations/departments, you may want to reward the first people to register from each.

Another effective technique is to tie signup incentive eligibility to a deadline earlier than the close of registration. For example, if you have a 3-week registration window, limit it to the first 2 weeks to create a sense of urgency and intensify signup momentum.

Team Formation

Similar to a signup incentive, a small reward for everyone who joins a team can raise registrations by 20% or more. Incorporating team-based challenges can further stimulate engagement and participation by encouraging employees to work together and fostering a sense of community. We consistently see greater success when participants are on a team and/or use a buddy feature (see below). Keep the same budget and timing considerations in mind as described above.

Buddy Recruitment

Each HES challenge has a buddy feature (called Friends, Sole Mates, Produce Pals, or other applicable terms) where participants can invite a colleague to join them. As with teams, buddies achieve the program goal at a higher rate than those who go it alone. Participants who engage with a buddy are more likely to complete the challenge and experience greater well-being gains, thanks to the added motivation, social connection, and accountability.

Weekly Thresholds

To reinforce consistency and add a little excitement, award incentives randomly each week for individuals/teams who achieve the threshold for points, steps, miles, nutrition choices, or whatever measure they’re tracking. These weekly rewards inspire participants to stay engaged and motivated as they work toward their goals. Remove previous winners from the pool and increase the number of prizes each week so people know the longer they stick with the challenge the greater their chance of winning.

Team Competition

Use a built-in leaderboard to award the top 3, 5, or 10 teams. If you have multiple locations/departments, consider team awards by category. The closer to home the prizes are awarded the greater the pull.

If the same teams are prone to win each competition, come up with an alternative to avoid discouraging others, for example draw winners at random from the top 5 teams. 

Completion/Goal Attainment

This may be the most important place to acknowledge achievement, particularly if the bar was set at a challenging height for most. The more personalized you can make the recognition the greater its impact. Consider an awards ceremony where each achiever receives a certificate and a pat on the back. If that isn’t practical, enlist your wellness committee or champions to hold brief local gatherings. Whenever practical, capture the moment in photos to share in program wrapups, newsletters, annual reports, and other communication materials.

As in team competitions, design reward criteria so everyone who reaches the program goal receives the award (or has an equal chance in a random drawing), not just those who score the highest.

Vary Wellness Incentive Types

Genuine recognition is more valued than stuff, so don’t feel a need to spend heavily for participants to feel good about their accomplishment. Aim to recognize achievers as soon as possible once the program ends.

Certificates

A few will get tossed, but many will be displayed proudly at workstations for months or even years. When possible, specify their contribution — such as being team leader — with a special line, symbol, or sticker. Encourage group photos with certificates to share on your HR or other site.

Novelty Items

Mugs, paper weights, bobble heads, squeeze balls, water bottles, and similar goods are affordable incentives; the more useful, the greater visibility they have. Set up a table in high-traffic areas and watch signups soar. Include a handful of promo cards along with the reward and ask registrants to pass them out to folks in their work area.

T-shirts and Other Wearables

Wellness managers tire of T-shirts before participants do, so don’t rule out this tried and true item. Mix it up with sweatshirts, vests, hoodies, packable rain jackets, flip flops, gym bags, backpacks, hydration packs, caps, socks, gloves/mittens, headbands, and visors — all are appreciated. Brand with the program logo for an ongoing reminder.

Swag

Quality merchandise can work if not overused in other areas. If everyone already has one, it will lose luster for your purpose. Come up with something unique that’s tied to your wellness program.

Gift Cards

There’s no beating the convenience and versatility of gift cards. To make the most of this option, be sure to include recipient personalization as well as a specific message about the achievement — Congratulations, Jane! We’re delighted to recognize your Walktober achievement with this $25 gift card. Keep walking… and we look forward to seeing you in our Worldwide Wellness challenge starting January 4. Electronic gift cards can be issued immediately upon achieving the goal. They’re convenient for international employers, saving time and eliminating storage or distribution headaches. (Check with your finance department about any income tax implications for recipients.)

Charitable Contributions

This can be a meaningful form of recognition, especially when employees are encouraged to support causes of their choice. In our experience it can work well once but is hard to replicate. If you specify the recipient, tie to the goal — a physical activity challenge fits well with donating to a local school for playground equipment, as an example.

Time Off

This is a high-value perk in most organizations, but may be difficult to pull off depending on work flexibility. It will require approval from HR and buy-in from supervisors, which could take months of planning. Gather informal data to see if this would be a welcome, practical idea for your workplace.

Credit Toward Annual Wellness Plan

If your organization has an ongoing wellness incentive plan, attaining an HES challenge goal can count toward the reward. Try not to make this the sole way to recognize participants, however. Aim for genuine, visible acknowledgment as close to the end of the program as possible.

Uh-Oh (What could possibly go wrong?)

Premium Discounts, HSA/HRA Contributions

Linking wellness achievements with health insurance premium discounts or contributions to savings or reimbursement accounts is fraught with peril. Some will appreciate the intention and understand the connection, but others can view it as holding their benefits hostage. In our experience this invites dishonesty and can lead to resentment. We always advise clients to keep healthcare benefits separate from wellness program participation.

Trips to Paris (and other too-rich schemes)

True story. An HES client once awarded the top team an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris despite our very clear warning this was not a good idea. As you would expect, the result was accusations of cheating all around and disappointment for 1000+ participants who didn’t win the trip (but 4 people were very happy). This is, obviously, a huge outlier. But any reward that’s too rich risks deception and hard feelings — and is sure to decrease future program participation.

Anything That Makes Participation Involuntary

Your employees have enough on their plates, with jobs plus responsibilities at home and in the community. Don’t make participation in your wellness program another thing they have to do. Everything about how you build, market, and implement your offerings should convey this fact: Our wellness program is another valuable, enjoyable part of your benefit package — a great advantage of working for this organization. 

You want them to participate because they want to.

Read more: https://hesonline.com/blog/engagement/decrease-intrinsic-motivation/.

Your Winning Idea

Have an incentive idea that’s worked well? Let your HES account manager know so we can share it with your wellness colleagues in a future blog posting. Here’s our incentive: Anything we post will be rewarded with fun HES swag.

Evaluating Program Success

Assessing wellness program success is critical to determining its effectiveness. Metrics, such as employee participation, feedback, and surveys, can provide valuable insights. Tracking progress toward wellness goals is also an important benchmark. Regular evaluation helps improve employee and organization health, ensuring both individual well-being and a healthier workplace overall.

Sustaining a Successful Program

The long-term success of your wellness program depends on ongoing commitment and adaptability. To keep it thriving, be sure to regularly evaluate effectiveness, gather feedback from employees, and make data-driven adjustments. Offering fresh well-being topics brightened with incentives helps motivate employees to maintain better health behaviors and stay engaged with wellness initiatives.

Support from the top for your program is also essential — having leaders actively champion and participate sends a strong message that employee wellness is a core value. Embedding wellness into the fabric of your organization creates a positive environment where employees feel supported in their health and well-being journeys. This sustained focus not only benefits individual employees but also drives organization success through improved morale, productivity, and retention.

Employee wellness programs are a vital investment in your population’s health and well-being, leading to improved productivity and job satisfaction. Effective workplace wellness programs require careful planning, clear goals, and a comprehensive approach that incorporates various wellness initiatives. Making well-being programs a priority can create a positive, healthy work environment that benefits employees and the organization.

Dean Witherspoon
Chief collaborator, nudger, tinkerer; leads the most inventive team creating well-being and sustainable living programs. Reach out if you’d like to talk about employee well-being, emotional fitness, or eco-friendly living.

The post Employee Wellness Challenge Reward Strategies appeared first on Health Enhancement Systems.

]]> 55322 From Challenge to Change: 15 Ways to Build on Successful Walking Challenges https://hesonline.com/blog/program-best-practices/build-on-walking-challenge-success/ Wed, 21 May 2025 19:22:22 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=54802 6-minute read

During employee walking challenges, the energy is electric as people get outside, walk together, and experience noticeable mental/physical benefits. But what happens when the program concludes? When the structure and daily support are suddenly gone, new habits sometimes fade. Keep reading for specific strategies to keep employees walking year-round.

The post From Challenge to Change: 15 Ways to Build on Successful Walking Challenges appeared first on Health Enhancement Systems.

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6-minute read

During employee walking challenges, the energy is electric as people get outside, walk together, and experience noticeable mental/physical benefits. But what happens when the program concludes? When the structure and daily support are suddenly gone, new habits sometimes fade. Keep reading for specific strategies to keep employees walking year-round.

Why Employees Love Walking Programs

Walking is simple, free, and fun. For most people, it’s a natural, accessible activity they can do anywhere: at work, home, on vacation, around town. No special gear is needed; comfortable shoes, clothing, and a safe place are the only requirements. 

At HES, we create walking challenges enjoyed by thousands of participants every year. Their feedback tells us what they enjoyed most:

  • Fun. Walking challenges with clear goals, immersive themes, and multiple ways to connect create a shared experience. A friendly team  competition elevates the excitement. Features like trivia questions, recipes, Friends, message boards, and daily tips spark an upbeat buzz.
  • Motivation. Seeing others’ progress inspires action. Knowing teammates are counting on you gets you up — even when you’re not feeling it. As daily steps add up and fun features unlock, the challenge creates tangible evidence of personal progress that drives participants to stay on track. Following the individual or team leaderboards is inspiring and motivating.
  • Connection. Company-wide challenges bring people together. Walking with coworkers – especially those in other departments – fosters friendliness and camaraderie. Employees love getting to know each other and making new friends across the organization. And they rave about the support from other participants, saying it’s essential in making walks a daily habit.
  • Feeling great. Many people try on their own to be more physically active, but don’t stick with it long enough to experience the payoffs. With wraparound support from a walking challenge they can establish a new habit and realize rewards – like more energy, an enhanced sense of calm, increased alertness; these in turn motivate repeat walking to strengthen the habit.

“I lost 12 lbs only by walking, no change in diet. My back pain went away and I feel much happier mentally. Some days were really difficult but teamwork and accountability made us keep going. I never thought just walking can make so much difference.”

Lorilee O.
Walktober Participant
Kaiser Permanente (Healthy Workforce/Go KP)


15 Tips for Lasting Walking Challenge Success

Wellness leaders can do a lot to promote year-round, lifelong walking and all its benefits. Get started with a simple framework and adapt it to your population’s needs. 

To help employees strengthen and maintain walking habits, offer support that:

  • Is fun and motivating 
  • Promotes social connection 
  • Fosters positive walking experiences in every season.

These elements naturally spark interest and draw people in; they’re also self-reinforcing. Walking with coworkers, for example, combines fun social time with exercise: a net positive most will want to experience again. Walking together in nature amplifies this effect. 

Check out our ideas below. What resonates with your workplace?

Plan, Promote, Celebrate

  1. Feedback. Review end-of-program reports and surveys for insights to improve your next walking challenge as well as weekly/monthly/quarterly ideas to support walking between programs. Use periodic polling to pull in season-specific data. 
  2. Walkforce. Recruit volunteers to be ambassadors, wearing highly visible T-shirts. Ask them to organize regular groups for everyone, personally invite people to join, and generate future ideas for walking promotions.
  3. Story time. Feature walking testimonials in a central location to inspire and motivate. Solicit examples in every wellness communication. Ask which benefits employees are happiest about, how they created a walking habit, and what they do to stay on track. Share these stories wherever people gather onsite and online.
  4. Hoopla. Celebrate walking challenge wins with recognition for all, plus team and individual shout-outs. Random drawings for walking-related swag are always a hit.

Feature Recurring Events

  1. Let’s Walk day. Inspire with a fun monthly companywide event to get everyone out and active. Recruit organization leaders to rotate in heading it. Make the celebration complete with a group photo posted on your website and a few door prizes.
  2. Walk Wednesday. Pair up employees to complete a predefined route, before work or during breaks. Greet them at the halfway point with door prize tickets they can deposit at the end for a chance to win some wellness swag or gift cards.
  3. Charity walk. Host or participate in a walk to raise money; include goals for participation, mileage, and amount. Knowing you’re helping others makes walking even more meaningful and gives a dual sense of accomplishment.
  4. Buddy challenge. Encourage 10 or more partner walks a month by awarding random prizes. Walking together increases the connectedness vital for mental well-being and a positive workplace culture.
  5. Dog day. Designate a day for everyone to post selfies with their dogs during or after a walk. Trading stories about beloved pets brings people together.

Highlight Anytime Activities

  1. Nature perks. Underscore walking together in green spaces, on forest trails, and near water for added enjoyment as well as mental health benefits. Time in natural environments is especially soothing and rejuvenating.
  2. Mini-treks. Print small cards for recording strolls of 10 minutes or more to deposit in drop boxes around work areas. For many less-active people, carving even 30 minutes out of their day is too much at first. Hold weekly drawings for a random prize that supports continued walking.
  3. Contemplative strides. Encourage walking meditation— a technique taught in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programs as a way to combine the restorative benefits of physical activity, mindful awareness, and time in nature. 
  4. Map walks. Post paths (1-5 miles) or share Google Maps routes to drive more walking. These can offer immediate support when someone is ready to step out but isn’t sure where to go.
  5. Happy feet. Kick off new walking initiatives with a shoe expert seminar. Share a blog post on foot health and highlight the value of podiatry care for foot pain. 
  6. Trail time. Point to national, state, and local parks resources for recreational walks and hikes for all ages and levels. These activities are ideal for sharing new experiences and making memories with family and friends while exploring nature.
  1.  
 

“I started with 15 minutes of walking per day. Now I’m at 3 miles and about 1.5 hours per day and my energy level is through the roof. My blood pressure is that of a teenager now. I feel amazing.”

Holly Jones
10K-A-Day participant
Andersen Windows

Year-Round Walking Habits

Wellness leaders help new walking habits last by weaving walking into the workplace culture throughout the year. Come up with fresh, fun ways to link walking with social connection and motivate employees to enjoy moving outdoors – even when the walking challenge is over. You’ll help them stick with the habit long enough to realize the many well-being rewards.

“Walktober was very motivating, so much so that it pushed me to be outdoors almost every day! Best of all, my teammates gave each other reminders to complete our logs and thrive tasks and it allowed me to be closer with them.”  

Mariam K
Walktober Participant
State of Illinois CMS Benefits

Beth Shepard

Beth Shepard
Well-being consultant, educator, writer ｜National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach ｜Certified Lifestyle Medicine Coach｜ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist ｜25+ years in wellness ｜Jazz enthusiast.

The post From Challenge to Change: 15 Ways to Build on Successful Walking Challenges appeared first on Health Enhancement Systems.

]]> 54802 9 Reasons Your Employee Wellness Program Should Feature Fall Fitness Challenges https://hesonline.com/blog/program-best-practices/9-reasons-your-employee-wellness-program-should-feature-fall-fitness-challenges/ Mon, 07 Apr 2025 17:09:49 +0000 https://hesonline.com/?p=54359 6-minute read
For employee wellness leaders, now is the perfect time to think about the fall season — and schedule a fall fitness challenge. Seasonal wellness programs are engaging for their ties to nature’s rhythms, holidays, and traditions. Fall’s unique ambiance makes it an excellent time to get people moving outdoors.

The post 9 Reasons Your Employee Wellness Program Should Feature Fall Fitness Challenges appeared first on Health Enhancement Systems.

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6-minute read

For employee wellness leaders, now is the perfect time to think about the fall season — and schedule a fall fitness challenge. Seasonal wellness programs are engaging for their ties to nature’s rhythms, holidays, and traditions. Fall’s unique ambiance makes it an excellent time to get people moving outdoors.

Walking Challenges Have Wide Appeal

Why consider a focus on walking for your fall fitness challenge? Because walking is something nearly everyone can do. It’s free, simple, and fun, with no special equipment — just comfortable shoes/clothing and a safe place.

Participants can use fitness trackers to easily monitor steps and stay motivated throughout the challenge.

Walking is also an accessible way to stay active without needing a gym or driving somewhere. Participants can get a change of scenery, reduce stress, and clear their mind — returning to work refreshed.

“Let’s go for a walk.” Trekking with a coworker is a fun way to catch up and exchange ideas while moving in the brisk outdoors. Walking groups form naturally during a workplace walking challenge, spreading the joy throughout the organization.

Read more: Walking: How Workplace Step Challenges Help People Connect.

Participants Love Fall Walking Challenges

HES has the pleasure of serving large and small companies, school systems, colleges, and universities as well as nonprofits and city/state/federal entities. For many clients, our Walktober challenge is a fan favorite and an annual tradition.

Here’s a sampling of feedback we’ve received from Walktober participants:

“Walktober helped to pull me out of a funk and start moving again. I loved the beautiful photos from around the world and the encouragement of wonderful team members. It’s one more way Wellesley continues to be important — and inspirational — in my life.”

Karen M.
Wellesley College

“As a participant of Walktober I have created a routine of staying active that I think will make it easier to continue now that the challenge is over. I have gotten in the routine of making sure I’m moving even on slower days and I have noticed a positive impact on my energy throughout the day and even felt my clothes fitting better!”

Ashley S.
Fontana Unified School District

“I travel a lot personally and for my job. The Walktober program motivated me to get my steps in everyday regardless of where I was. I even walked around airports and on airplanes. It was great!”

Miriam S.
State of Illinois CMS Benefits

Read more: 10 Ways to Get Employees Walking for Better Health.

Walking Challenges Inspire Lasting Habits 

Did you know that only 24% of US adults meet recommendations for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity? Fall fitness challenges help everyone reap the rewards of an active lifestyle. Less active employees will feel better with regular exercise, and those already active may be motivated to try something new like cross-training to keep their routines fresh and interesting.

Establishing a consistent fitness routine is the key. When people find an activity they enjoy — such as walking — that works for their lifestyle, is fun to do with others, and helps them feel great, they’re more likely to stick with it long enough to experience the benefits and establish a daily habit.

Health Benefits of Regular Exercise

A few examples:

  • More energy, stamina, and strength
  • Less stress and tension, higher resilience, and more restful sleep
  • Better focus and creativity
  • Improved mental well-being with fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety plus enhanced brain connectivity and function
  • Increased self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment
  • Decreased risk of medical issues during and after pregnancy like gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, newborn complications, or postpartum depression
  • Reduced risk for chronic conditions and better management of existing health concerns like diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, overweight/obesity, arthritis, as well as many types of cancer
  • Improved odds for enhancing healthspan – more years free from serious disease.

The Easy Win: Annual Fall Fitness Challenge

Use autumn’s allure — like vibrant landscapes, cozy clothing, apple cider, new beginnings — to encourage employees to get outdoors and fully experience the season:

  1. Familiar routines. Summer vacations are over; kids are back to school and sports. It’s a natural time to revitalize a healthy habit or spark a new one — like walking, biking, or hiking. Pairing exercise with an established activity — like walking during soccer practice — helps build a new routine… it’s called habit stacking.
  2. Cooler weather. Fall brings cooler temperatures, crisp air, and muted light, ideal for an invigorating walk.
  3. Stunning scenery. Brilliant foliage paints the landscape, attracting leaf-peepers. It’s a beautiful season to be active outdoors together, enjoying autumn beauty.
  4. Enduring traditions. From fall sports to apple picking to Halloween, it’s a time of year packed with tradition and fond memories. Adding a fall fitness challenge to your employee wellness calendar can establish an annual tradition your population will look forward to — for the fun as well as the feel-good payoffs. Watch for greater participation and appreciation to grow year after year.
  5. Fresh-start feelings. Calendar beginnings — like a new season, Monday, first of the month, New Year’s, or a birthday — offer a psychological boost that helps us move past regrets, reframe the way we think about ourselves, and set new goals.
  6. Team togetherness. Nothing brings people closer while igniting energy like a friendly competition. When your fall fitness program includes a team plus individual option, you’re all set. The increased camaraderie will likely continue long after the challenge ends, fostering positive work relationships.
  7. Social connections. Fall fitness challenges make it easy to get to know others across the organization. As participants cheer each other on or compete in a team, they meet and interact with others beyond their own groups — building a friendlier, more connected work environment.
  8. Festive fare. Autumn’s harvest is made for healthy potlucks, with colorful apples, pears, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, and more. Lunchtime gatherings are a chance to enjoy delicious produce while recognizing fitness challenge wins and sharing ways to get past obstacles.
  9. Strong finish. Fall arrives with perfect timing, when summer vacations are over yet before people head out for winter holidays. By helping employees increase physical activity in a fall fitness challenge, you’ll help them end the year strong and prime them for a healthier new year. Your wellness program will finish stronger, too.

Energize Your Workforce With a Fall Fitness Challenge

Tap into the magic of autumn this year. For so many reasons, it’s an excellent time to invite your population to establish or strengthen a physical activity habit. Set them up for success with a fall fitness challenge that gets them outside and enjoying the beauty of this spectacular season… together.

Read more: Why Every Leader Needs a Walking Habit: Unlocking Personal and Professional Benefits.

Beth Shepard

Beth Shepard
Well-being consultant, educator, writer ｜National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach ｜Certified Lifestyle Medicine Coach｜ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist ｜25+ years in wellness ｜Jazz enthusiast.

The post 9 Reasons Your Employee Wellness Program Should Feature Fall Fitness Challenges appeared first on Health Enhancement Systems.

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