Office fitness challenges for hybrid work

Office Fitness Challenges for Hybrid Work: What Works Now

Hybrid work has changed what “the office” means – and with it, what an office fitness challenge should look like. Younger generations in particular expect flexibility: in Deloitte's 2022 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, about three in four respondents said they prefer flexible ways of working, while fewer than half actually had that option.1 Microsoft's Work Trend Index the same year found a similar appetite for hybrid and remote work among Gen Z.2

For HR, this means office fitness challenges need to work wherever people are – and connect to what employees genuinely care about. Here is how.

Table of Contents

What Today's Workforce Cares About

Modern workforce working both remotely and in the office

Gen Z and millennials will soon make up most of the workforce, so understanding their priorities helps you design wellness initiatives that land instead of being met with a shrug. Deloitte's research highlighted three big concerns:

  • Financial wellbeing: the cost of living was the top concern for both generations.
  • Climate and sustainability: many said they were willing to pay more for sustainable choices.
  • Mental health: nearly half of Gen Z respondents reported feeling stressed all or most of the time.

Rethinking Office Fitness Challenges for Hybrid Work

Classic step challenges are still a great way to get started – keep running them regularly. But a new layer helps address what really keeps people up at night. With different challenge types, you can serve these concerns all year round.

1. 1. Financial Wellbeing Challenge

Financial well being is the number one factor for employee wellbeing

Deloitte found that many Gen Z and millennial workers had a second job alongside their main one. In that context, engagement is no longer nice to have – and wellbeing initiatives become one of the main ways employees experience your employer brand. Try this:

  1. Create a year-round custom challenge to track savings habits.
  2. Encourage people to form groups with colleagues they feel comfortable with.
  3. Kick it off with a talk from a personal finance expert.

In three steps, you combine education and practice in an area people say truly matters to them – while keeping personal data private.

2. 2. Sustainable Commute Challenge

Climate change and sustainability challenges are a great idea

Rewarding environmentally friendly commuting tackles the second big concern. Turn a once-a-year walking challenge into a continuous program that also counts cycling, including e-bikes, which have become increasingly popular in many European and US cities.

  1. Consider a rebate for bikes or e-bikes used to commute.
  2. Run a company-wide cycling challenge to encourage year-round use.
  3. Let people create their own side challenges with colleagues.

It is good for wellbeing and strengthens your employer brand. See also the car-free September challenge.

3. 3. Sleep and Mindfulness Challenges

Mental wellness starts with a good night's sleep

Mental health is important and delicate. After running thousands of challenges across four continents, we suggest starting with something simple but powerful: a sleep challenge. Many smartwatches track sleep automatically. According to the Sleep Foundation, sleep and mental health affect each other in both directions: sleep problems can be both a cause and a consequence of mental health problems.

  1. Start with an optional sleep challenge for people with suitable devices.
  2. Add mindfulness, yoga and other challenges over time.
  3. Bring health topics and speakers into existing company events.

Read more on why sleep belongs at the center of your wellness program.

Redefining the “Office” in Office Fitness Challenges

Modern ways of working are not limited to the office space

In the hybrid era, your office is not just a physical space. It is the wider employee experience you provide every day of the year, wherever people work. Challenges that work at home, in the office and on the go are a simple way to make that experience tangible. For more ideas, see 10 office fitness challenge ideas and how to engage remote employees.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you run an office fitness challenge with a hybrid team?

Use an app that syncs activity from phones and watches, so people can take part from home, the office or anywhere else, and keep everyone connected through a shared leaderboard and chat.

2. What challenges work beyond fitness?

Sleep, mindfulness, savings and sustainable commuting challenges address what employees care about most and include people who are not into sport.

Upgrade Your Office Fitness Challenges

Curious how to elevate your employee experience with modern challenges? Book a demo with our wellness experts.

  1. Deloitte. Gen Z and Millennial Survey.
  2. Microsoft (2022). Gen Z and millennial workers reshaping the workplace.