Mid-Year Wellness Program Review: How HR Can Use July to Plan Ahead

For many organizations, July is the quietest month of the year. Projects slow down, calendars open up and half the office is on vacation. For HR, that makes it the perfect time for a mid-year wellness program review: look back at what worked in the first half of the year and plan the second half before the autumn rush begins. Here is a five-step guide and a checklist.

Step 1: Review the First Half of the Year

Start with the numbers. In YuMuuv, the Statistics page gives admins a monthly company report with total and active users, engagement rate, challenge participants and the most active day. Look at:

Participation: how many people joined each challenge, and how many stayed active until the end?
Challenge types: did activity challenges or habit challenges (sleep, mindfulness, water) attract more people?
Teams and locations: are some departments or sites less engaged than others?
Timing: did any challenge clash with a busy period? Minnesota Sports and Events learned this the hard way – see their case study.

To see how your results compare with other organizations, check the YuMuuv wellness benchmark.

Step 2: Ask Employees What They Want

Numbers tell you what happened; people tell you why. Send a short survey with your usual survey tool, for example:

Which challenges did you enjoy most this year?
What stopped you from joining (or finishing) a challenge?
Which types of challenges would you like next: activity, sleep, mindfulness, something else?
Do you prefer team or individual challenges?
Which rewards would motivate you?

Don't forget the people who didn't take part – their answers are often the most useful. If you have wellness champions or a committee, involve them too: see how to improve wellness committee engagement.

Step 3: Plan Your Second-Half Challenge Calendar

Map out challenges from September to December, alternating activity and habit challenges and avoiding your busiest periods:

September: a back-to-routine challenge – see autumn fresh-start habits.
October: a mindfulness or sleep challenge around World Mental Health Day (10 October).
November: a men's health and movement challenge – see Movember ideas.
December: a steps for charity challenge and support for holiday stress.

For more ideas, use our wellness challenge calendar, read YuMuuv challenge types explained and see how to keep your program moving through Q4.

Step 4: Set Your Budget and Rewards

Decide what you will spend on prizes, team events and any extras for the rest of the year. Rewards that recognize participation tend to be more inclusive than prizes only for the top performers. Our rewards guide and prize preferences survey can help you choose.

Step 5: Prepare Your Communication Plan

Announce each challenge about two weeks before it starts.
Plan reminders for the first day, the halfway point and the final week.
Share results and celebrate winners within a week of the end.
Use the channels your employees actually read – and YuMuuv's announcements feature to reach participants in the app.

Use the Quiet Weeks for Your Own Development

July is also a good time for HR teams to learn: read up on new research, connect with peers in HR communities and see what other organizations are doing in our case studies. And don't forget your own mid-summer reset.

Mid-Year Review Checklist

Participation and engagement reviewed for each challenge
Employee survey sent (including non-participants)
September–December challenge calendar drafted
Budget and rewards agreed
Communication plan ready

Want help planning your second half of the year? Book a YuMuuv demo.

HR Management