Running a successful workplace wellness challenge isn't just about picking a step target and launching an app. The organisations that see the highest participation share a set of common design principles that most programmes overlook entirely.

The most common mistake we see is launching a challenge designed around the keenest participants rather than the most hesitant. When you optimise for your top performers, you inadvertently signal to everyone else that this isn't for them.

Start with the reluctant majority

Before you set a single goal, ask yourself: what does success look like for someone who currently does very little physical activity? For that person, 10,000 steps a day isn't motivating. A better starting point celebrates any increase over a personal baseline.

STEPPI's adaptive challenge format does exactly this. Each participant's goal is calibrated to their starting activity level, which means a sedentary employee and a regular runner are both genuinely competing.

Team design matters more than the goal

The single biggest driver of engagement we've seen isn't the prize, the goal, or even the app. It's team composition. When people feel responsibility to a small group of colleagues, their daily participation rate nearly doubles.

The sweet spot is teams of 6 to 10 people, mixed across departments and seniority levels. Cross-functional teams create new connections that outlast the challenge itself.

Keep the challenge alive in week three

Participation typically peaks in week one, drops sharply in week two, and either stabilises or collapses in week three. The programmes that hold their numbers create moments of re-engagement at exactly the right time.