Testlio Case Study: Walking for Mental Health and Charity
Not every wellness challenge needs a winner. Testlio, a global software testing company with a fully remote workforce in more than 140 countries, runs non-competitive YuMuuv challenges where everyone walks towards one shared goal – and reaching it triggers a donation to mental health charities. This case study shows how they combine wellness, mental health awareness and giving back.
Table of Contents
At a Glance
- Company: Testlio, a global tech company serving clients such as Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft
- Team: 170+ full-time employees and a freelance network of around 10,000 people in 140+ countries
- Led by: Moonika Oras, People Engagement Manager
- Signature challenge: the annual Walk for Mental Health every May
- Participation: about 25% of employees
The Challenge
Balancing wellness and work is hard in a remote, demanding environment. Testlio wanted to support wellbeing across a highly distributed team – without adding pressure or competition.
The Approach: Collective Goals for a Good Cause
Instead of traditional leaderboards, Testlio reimagined its YuMuuv challenges around team collaboration and collective achievement. The key twist: linking the challenge to charitable giving, so wellness becomes part of a bigger social impact.
Walk for Mental Health
Every May, during Mental Health Awareness Month, Testlio runs its annual Walk for Mental Health challenge. Employees walk together towards a collective goal. If they reach it, Testlio donates to mental health charities. The challenge is part of a broader approach to wellbeing that also includes educational webinars on topics such as anxiety and depression.
Engagement and Feedback
- No pressure: because the goal is shared, people contribute at their own comfort level.
- About 25% participation among employees, with positive feedback about the good feeling of contributing to a common goal.
- Freelancers included: opening the program to Testlio's freelance network extended its reach and inclusivity.
What's Next
Testlio plans to recognize more activity types, such as cycling and swimming, to suit different preferences across its global team, and is exploring year-round challenges to support wellbeing continuously.
Key Takeaways
- Remove the competition when your goal is inclusion – a collective goal lets everyone contribute.
- Give it purpose. A charity donation turns steps into something bigger – see how to run a steps for charity challenge.
- Tie it to a moment such as Mental Health Awareness Month, and pair activity with education.
- Include everyone, from full-time staff to freelancers.
Another example of combining wellness and giving: Utilitas charity wellness challenges. For remote teams, read our guide to wellness challenges for remote workers and how to support team mental health. More stories: case studies. Book a demo to plan your own charity challenge.
