We love a classic one-month step challenge. We really do. So much so, that we wrote a whole how-to guide for hosting them. We love a step challenge in part because it’s widely accessible; it can appeal to most of your employees.
But why stop at most? If you’re passionate about your wellness program, you want to see it reach all your employees. Enter the Accountability Challenge. The Accountability Challenge is customized to every single participant by nature. Plus, it’s layer after layer of wellness and workplace benefits.
Let’s begin.
The Accountability Challenge only requires a minimum two participants, and a mini goal setting workshop. Spice it up with incentives, and perhaps some competition—if that’s your workplace’s vibe—and you have yourself a challenge.
First, employees participate in a goal setting workshop. Employees should learn how to set goals with higher chances for achievement. Consider addressing challenges to seeing a goal through. Explore strategies to overcome those challenges. Predictably, the workshop should culminate in employees creating their own wellness goal.
Next, employees pair up with an accountability partner, or accountabili-buddy if you will. Now that everyone has practiced goal setting, employees will create one more goal: to be a motivator for their partner. Throughout the challenge, partners will check in on each other to share successes, and encouragement. For added accountability, employees can sign a pledge to themselves to complete their goal, with their partner’s signature as a witness.
Over a set period of time, employees work toward their goals with their partners, and hopefully see progress! Be sure to end your challenge with a celebration, and encourage employees to reflect and share on their experience with The Accountability Challenge.
Active SWV can provide a free goal setting workshop to your workplace. A workshop can be customized to your employees’ interests. Email Workplace Wellness Director Veronica Crosier at [email protected] to learn more.
Higher buy-in. Not every employee will be interested in a weight loss challenge, or water drinking challenge. But with this challenge, each person can choose their own goal. Therefore, more employees will see personal benefit by choosing to participate. In this way, you can evoke community spirit while still meeting individuals where they are.
A Fit for All Worksites. Because partners are working on individual goals and can choose how they want to check in, The Accountability Challenge can fit all worksites. Different departments can intermingle. Partners can work different shifts. Plus, going virtual is easy with text, social media, and team communication tools like Slack.
Builds Trust. Accountability partners don’t have to be best friends. Rather, this is a chance to develop new camaraderie within the workplace. By the end of the challenge, you’ll see several new and more meaningful connections among coworkers. Coworkers may also be more likely to go to each other for help, or offer to collaborate as a result.
Improved Bottom Line. Simply put, happier and healthier people will be more productive. And this is especially if they’re also trusting and practiced in keeping each other accountable.
Touchstone for Transferable Skills. Goal setting, communication, accountability. All of these are transferable skills that can improve work habits across the board. Use strategies from The Accountability Challenge to set expectations for things like team projects inter-department collaborations. Employees will already realize how these strategies work. Therefore, they can more readily try them on other aspects of work and personal life.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself to prepare your Accountability Challenge:
Active SWV’s Workplace Wellness Program offers free technical assistance and resources to establish a wellness program tailored to your workplace. Contact Workplace Wellness Director Veronica Crosier at [email protected] for tools to get you started.
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