How PwC rewarded 300,000 steps with something employees actually wanted
A 4-month challenge built around one simple goal, a meaningful reward, and monthly competitions to keep everyone in the race.
The Challenge
PwC wanted to create a long-form wellness challenge that was genuinely inclusive — one where the person who walks to the office every day had just as much chance of succeeding as a committed runner. The four-month timeframe meant a single slow week couldn't derail someone's progress. But keeping motivation high across four months, without drop-off, was the real challenge.
Needed a long-form challenge that stayed inclusive across all fitness levels
Risk of disengagement and drop-off over a 4-month window
The reward had to feel meaningful — not just another wellness token gesture
Required sub-group formats to maintain social energy across teams
The Solution
STEPPI designed a 4-month challenge around a single, achievable target: 300,000 steps. Flexible enough that a slower week wouldn't end someone's challenge, but meaningful enough to require genuine, sustained effort. The headline reward — an extra day's holiday for every employee who completed the target — gave people a real, tangible reason to keep going. Monthly mini-challenges, including function vs function competitions, kept the social energy alive throughout.
The Results
The extra day off was the perfect reward — everyone understood the value immediately. And because the target was flexible over four months, people who had a quiet week didn't give up. They just kept going. That made all the difference.
How the four months unfolded
Features that drove completion
Impact
The flexible step target was the programme's defining feature. By setting a total rather than a daily goal, PwC ensured that a bad week — a deadline crunch, travel, or illness — didn't have to mean dropping out. Employees could bank progress when active and ease off when they needed to, without losing sight of the finish line.
The extra day's holiday as a reward cut through in a way that vouchers or merchandise rarely do. People could see exactly what they were walking for, and that clarity drove sustained effort across all four months. The monthly function vs function mini-challenges provided the social layer that kept the programme alive. Teams formed around departments, friendly competition grew, and the challenge became part of the working rhythm rather than something running quietly in the background.
Ready to design a challenge your team will actually complete?
Book a demo and see how STEPPI can create lasting engagement — with rewards that really mean something.