10 Exciting Wellness Contest Ideas To Improve Employee Health and Engagement

Wellness contests are a hot topic among companies at the moment. Large, small, or medium companies of all sizes incorporate wellness contests into their corporate wellness programs.

From improving employee health to increasing employee engagement, workplace wellness contests prove quite beneficial for organizations. If you are looking for wellness contest ideas for your organization, you are in the right place.

Workplace wellness contests are a great way to promote employee health and engagement. They can be fun, motivating, and effective in helping employees reach their wellness goals.

But before diving into the different ideas for wellness contests, let us learn more about what they are and how they function.

Employee Health and the Rise of Wellness Programs

Employee health is often seen at the top of the priority list in organizations worldwide. It is quite simply one of the most important corporate wellness strategies determining an organization's success.

An organization that has healthy employees is more adept at thriving in the face of adversity. Healthy and fit employees not only improve the brand image of a company, but they also help -

• Reduce absenteeism
• Lower healthcare costs
• Increase performance and productivity
• Improve the work environment
• Increase motivation and morale
• Minimize workplace stress

For the above benefits and more, employee health is highly regarded, and employers prioritize ensuring the optimal health of their employees.

For this purpose, employers introduce wellness programs. Corporate wellness programs are specially designed programs that help employers introduce wellness challenges and initiatives among employees.

Such programs are highly effective and popular among companies worldwide. The best thing about health and wellness programs is that they allow employers to focus effortlessly on various aspects of employee health.

In today's world, wellness programs are coupled with health technology to provide an extra edge over conventional wellness programs. Incorporating wellness initiatives is extremely easy with the availability of wellness platforms and applications.

Wellness Contests: All you need to know

Now that you understand wellness programs, let us talk about wellness contests.

A wellness contest is a physical or virtual event comprising one or more wellness activities. Employees participate in such contests and compete against each other for prizes.

Such contests can be as simple as a step challenge or complex, including various activities focusing on different aspects of wellness.

Employers can easily create a wellness contest and include in it their wellness program using a wellness solution. Digital wellness solutions are much more convenient as they allow easy implementation and configuration of wellness programs and contests.

You might also like: 45 Corporate Wellness Companies That Are Revolutionizing The Wellness Industry

If you are looking for a highly intuitive and advanced digital wellness platform, look no further than Vantage Fit.

Vantage Fit is an AI-powered corporate wellness solution that will allow you to create and customize your workplace wellness challenges and contests as per your requirements. Also, with futuristic features like heart rate monitoring, step tracking, nutrition tracking, and more, engagement is never an issue.

10 Wellness Contests Ideas That Are Fun and Engaging

So let us check out the ten practical wellness contest ideas below without delay.

1. Healthy Weight Contest

A simple weight loss challenge is a great way to incorporate healthy office habits such as nutrition and workout among your workforce. Maintaining a healthy weight is essential for optimal functioning and living a quality life.

To create a weight loss contest among your employees, conduct a biometric screening for all your employees to assess their health metrics. Once the data is in, set a realistic target percentage that employees should aim to achieve.

Provide healthy meals such as lunches, breakfasts, and snacks to help your employees reach their goals. You can also provide free 1-month gym memberships to inspire employees to adopt exercise into their daily routine.

2. Fittest Employee Contest

Fitness challenges are the most popular type of wellness challenge in organizations. They can include various kinds of fitness activities, both simple and advanced. Examples of fitness activities that you can find as part of fitness challenges are push-ups, squats, and planks.

Such challenges can greatly maximize employee competitiveness and motivate them to adopt healthy habits. Also, they can be very easy to introduce among your workforce.

Some great ideas for an Employee Fitness Contest are a squat contest, push-up contest, or a 7-minute workout contest.

Vantage Fit has an in-built squat tracking feature that uses AI and machine learning to track squats, helping users perform the exercise accurately.

3. Sleep and Win Contest

You and I both know how important it is to get adequate sleep. Sleep recharges our bodies and minds and helps us function optimally. But even though sufficient sleep is essential, most people have trouble getting enough sleep.

A Sleep challenge can thus be a great way to increase the amount of slumber your employees get and make them healthier.

Tracking how many hours of sleep your employees can be quite tricky, especially without sleep-tracking devices. So what you can do is set aside 30 minutes every day during work hours for the contest. Ask employees to take a nap and spend some shuteye time.

A Sleep challenge can be a win-win for both your employees and you, as even a 30-minute nap can significantly increase your employees' productivity and improve their health.

4. Biking to Work Contest

Introducing a cycle-to-work contest can be a great way to show your concern for the health of your workforce and the environment. Cycling is very beneficial for health as it increases muscle endurance and strength and improves mood.

A cycle-to-work contest would surely benefit both you and your employees. It would save employees transport costs and also improve their health.

You might have to provide employees with bicycle access for this contest idea to work. Or you can offer incentives to employees who buy bikes to motivate them. Also, do not forget to reward your employees with attractive prizes at the end of the contest.

5. Healthy Eating Contest

Besides physical activity, the one thing that comes to mind first when thinking about health is good nutrition. Proper nutrition is essential for a healthy life and to keep chronic diseases at bay.
Source: WHO

In fact, along with improving physical health, eating healthy foods enhances mental health as well.

You can create a healthy eating contest using a nutrition-tracking app like Vantage Fit. Ask your employees to track their meals throughout the contest. Set a daily target of calories, protein, carbs, and fats for the contest. Reward the employees who reach the daily target the most times.

Vantage Fit also has a social feed to ask your employees to post pictures of their foods to prevent cheating.

6. Walk the Most Contest

When all else fails, go for the plain old Step challenge. Such a contest will be effortless for your employees to participate in as all they have to do is walk.

Use a wellness app or a step tracker to track your employees' step data. Vantage Fit's activity tracker will help you gather accurate information about your wellness contest and help you reward employees accordingly.

First, decide on the duration of the contest and then set a step count target accordingly. Put up amazing wellness rewards for grabs, such as a free gym membership or paid leaves upon completion of the contest.

7. Healthy Lifestyle Contest

You can only achieve optimal results from a wellness contest if it consists of activities encompassing various aspects of wellness, such as mental, physical, and spiritual. So, why not create a wellness contest that includes multiple activities such as exercise, healthy eating, meditation, and more?

Suggested Read: 13 Mindfulness Exercises to Improve Employee Well-being at Work

All you need to do is set different tasks for your employees that increase in difficulty upon completion. For example, for the first task, you can ask your employees to sign up for a water challenge where, let's say, they ought to drink eight glasses of water for three days. Once that is completed, increase the number of glasses to 10 glasses for another three days.

Remember to club tasks together that focus on different aspects of wellness, such as including a water drinking challenge with a workout challenge.

8. Show Appreciation Contest

Showing appreciation rarely comes to mind when we think of wellness. However, it is equally important for overall health.

Appreciating our peers and colleagues can greatly affect our happiness and well-being. So, go ahead and create a wellness contest that focuses on appreciating others. Doing so will surely help your employees become more appreciative and bond with each other.

To create an appreciation contest, you can ask your employees to make gifts for people they think deserve appreciation. You can reward the employees with the most creative ideas with prizes.

9. Mindfulness Contest

Mental well-being is extremely important in today's world. Especially for corporate employees, mental health is of utmost importance due to the constant workplace stress in their lives.

Mindfulness meditation is one of the most effective ways to improve mental health and combat stress and anxiety. A wellness contest focused on increasing the amount of mindfulness meditation among employees can be beneficial.

To create a mindfulness contest, you can ask your employees to meditate daily for at least 10 minutes. Vantage Fit allows users to take guided meditation sessions for different time durations, which can be very beneficial for employees to stay focused.

10. Yoga for the Soul Contest

Yoga is an ancient practice that combines breathing exercises with physical movements to create relaxation and awareness. It is widely popular worldwide for its amazing work-life balance benefits, including improved mood and increased flexibility.

You might also like: 14 Fantastic Benefits Of Yoga In The Workplace

yoga contest can be quite a hit among your employees. Such a contest will benefit both you and your employees significantly. The best thing about yoga is that it can be simple enough to be done by anyone, anywhere.

Incorporating daily yoga into your employees' routines will greatly improve their health and increase their performance. Moreover, your employees will thank you for the long-term benefits of yoga that they reap.

Some Benefits of Workplace Wellness Contests

Let's quickly explore some benefits of a workplace wellness contest.

• Increased employee engagement

Creating fun and competitive contests can help increase excitement, which leads to employee engagement. Participation in these activities enhances employees' connection with their work and colleagues, ultimately nurturing a more engaging work environment.

• Improved employee health

These contests serve as a platform for employees to pursue their wellness aspirations. Participating in these contests and working toward their wellness goals improves personal growth, health and well-being.

• Reduced healthcare costs

Healthy employees make for a healthier workplace. In the long run, investing in activities supporting employee wellness can help reduce absenteeism and healthcare expenses for organizations.

• Increased productivity

A healthier workforce means a more productive one. Keeping employees engaged and motivated through contests makes a workplace more dynamic and efficient. Such activities make them feel supported in their professional environment, which inspires them to perform at their best.

A Virtual Step Challenge With Vantage Fit - Journey Challenge

Imagine you and your team embarking on a journey. This journey is not just towards fitness but towards exploration and discovery. With Vantage Fit, your employees form close-knit teams. Each team set foot on a virtual path through different landscapes and vibrant cultures across the globe. Consider this as an experience and collective stride towards well-being.

As the participants lace up their shoes and sync their wearables with our Vantage Fit app, they log their steps and enter a world of adventure. From the extravagant Taj to the serene beauty of Machu Picchu, every step brings them closer to unlocking new wonders of our planet.

They'll accomplish their wellness goals as the team progresses along the virtual map. With each milestone, there's a celebration of effort and spirit. The Vantage Fit app becomes a companion, rewarding them with points and badges for completing challenges as they increase their step count.

We call the virtual challenge a ‘Journey challenge.’ This challenge isn't just another wellness challenge- it's a step challenge that is gamified in a way that inspires individuals to step up, step out, and embark on a journey toward health and well-being.

Are you looking forward to creating a successful wellness contest in your organization? Schedule a demo with Vantage Fit now and explore such wellness challenges that transform your wellness program.

FAQs

What is a wellness contest?

Wellness contests are a fun, engaging way to encourage healthy habits among employees, with a dash of friendly competition for good measure. It could be a step challenge, a fitness competition, or a nutrition challenge. These challenges are particularly designed to improve and cater to employee wellness. They can be organized through an employee wellness app or lively events right at the workplace.

Why should a company or organization run a wellness contest?

There are benefits to a company running wellness challenges or contests. A wellness contest leads to happier and healthier employees, meaning less sick leave and more productivity. Plus, it shows you care about your people's well-being, which goes a long way in boosting morale and loyalty. Wellness contests promote a positive company culture.

How can we ensure participation in the wellness contest?

Engagement is key. Make it easy and accessible for the employees to engage in the contests. Create a supportive environment by offering incentives to encourage participation. Most importantly, promote the contest using posters, emails, and using interactive platforms like the Vantage Fit app to keep employees motivated and engaged throughout the contest.

How do we measure the success of a wellness contest?

Success isn't just about numbers; it's about impact. Measuring the success of a wellness contest requires tracking different metrics. Track participation, measure changes in employee health, and gather feedback through surveys. If the numbers translate into something positive, your contest succeeded.

But beyond metrics, success is also about the stories shared and the positive changes witnessed in employees' lives. It's about creating a lasting culture of well-being in your company.