Step Challenge

It is for department-based wellness contests where teams want a simple, friendly step-off. The per-capita scoring makes it workable when team sizes differ, so a small department can still compete fairly. It fits office, warehouse, field, and hybrid groups that can report steps from a tracker or app.

This template is set up for 14 days, which matches the natural cadence of a short wellness push without dragging on. Two weeks is long enough for people to build a habit and short enough to keep interest high. If you extend it, keep the contest time-boxed so it stays a contest rather than an always-on leaderboard.

The template uses manual scoring with the unit set to steps, so an organizer posts totals from an external tracker or spreadsheet. Because the contest is per-capita, the score should be the team average or another normalized total, not raw steps alone. That keeps the format fair for mixed-size departments.

HR, culture, wellness, or a department leader can run it, as long as one person owns the weekly update and final standings. The organizer should collect verified totals, post standings on a schedule, and resolve any missing entries. If you want a lighter lift, assign one captain per department to submit the team total.

Yes. The template is designed for manual posting of totals from any tracker, so it works with common wearables, phone health apps, or exported spreadsheets. The key is to standardize the submission window and the unit so all teams report the same way.

The biggest mistake is using raw totals without per-capita adjustment, which favors larger teams. Another common issue is letting the contest run indefinitely, which turns it into a leaderboard instead of a finite contest. It also helps to define whether walking, running, treadmill time, or commuting steps count before the first day.

Keep the ranking at the team level, score by person, and avoid public bottom-rank shaming. Make participation optional and allow reasonable substitutions for people with mobility limits, such as equivalent wellness actions if your policy allows it. The goal is a cooperative wellness contest, not a punitive fitness test.

Yes. You can swap the badge prize for bragging rights, points, or a small trophy, and you can rename the team scope from department to site or shift group. You can also add rules for step sources, minimum submission frequency, or tie-breakers if two teams finish close together.

A template gives you a clear structure for duration, scoring, team scope, and standings, which reduces confusion and back-and-forth. Ad-hoc contests often drift on rules, miss weekly updates, or create fairness issues when team sizes differ. This template keeps the contest easy to launch and easy to explain.