How Slalom Turned a Local Step Challenge into a Global Wellness Tradition with YuMuuv

Slalom, a global technology and business consulting firm, turned a small step challenge in its Phoenix office into a global September wellness tradition run on YuMuuv. Here’s how the Slalom step challenge grew, what keeps it fun and fair, and what other organizations can learn from it.

At a glance

From One City to the World

Back in 2019, Slalom’s Phoenix office launched a small step challenge to bring people together. When the world went remote in 2020, the team opened the doors to other markets. By 2021, after a successful pilot and executive sponsorship, September’s wellness challenge had become a global tradition—anticipated every year across Slalom’s city markets.

“People look forward to it. It’s the one global wellness activity everyone knows is coming.” — Transformation Consultant & Global Health & Well‑Being Lead

Over the years, the organizing team tested multiple platforms to find the right mix of user experience, inclusivity, and cost effectiveness. In 2024, they moved to YuMuuv—and after strong results, continued with YuMuuv again in 2025.

Why YuMuuv Works for Slalom

• Simple at scale: Easy onboarding for thousands across markets and time zones.
• Inclusive by design: Supports steps and a spectrum of activities (mindfulness, cycling, strength, swimming) when teams want more than steps.
• Community-first: In‑app chat and photo sharing create the social heartbeat of the challenge.

“The chat has been amazing—seeing photos from Japan to Germany of colleagues out walking. It brings our dispersed culture back together.”

Program Design: Keep It Fun, Keep It Fair

Slalom’s wellness leaders iterate every year based on employee feedback:

• Format: Month‑long global challenge each September
• Modes: Some years steps‑only for simplicity; other years add mindfulness/fitness via points
• Prizes: Weekly leaderboard awards + random participation prizes via Giftogram (globally usable)
• Signature reward: Post‑challenge survey selects 10 storytellers for a 1:1 “Meet a Leader” session with the executive of their choice

“That storytelling prize has created fantastic connections—people share how the challenge impacted them, then meet with leaders across the company.”

To amplify local community, markets host coffee walks with General Managers, turning a virtual challenge into real‑world meetups.

Outcomes Employees Care About

Even with an average ~20% participation at global scale, the ripple effects are outsized:

• Teams report more movement and mindfulness during workdays
• Colleagues use walks to explore new cities after relocations
• Participants credit the program with weight loss, post‑surgery recovery support, and family time outdoors
• The Sustainability & Impact team partners to highlight carbon savings from walking vs. driving

“Every year when it ends, people ask if we can run it more often than once a year.”

What We Learned (and Improved)

Slalom’s competitive culture pushes the team to keep the challenge inclusive and fair:

• When adding non‑step activities, the team used points to normalize effort—popular, but it made some users miss seeing pure step totals.
• Manual vs. automatic logging rules can be confusing across activities; clear pre‑challenge guidance helps align expectations.
• In‑app chat threading was a top request to keep conversations organized as volume grows. (Now available.)
• Sub‑teams within markets (e.g., four squads inside “New Zealand”) are on the wishlist to enable closer‑knit rivalries under a market umbrella.

“We’re iterating toward a model where simplicity and variety can coexist—so people who want steps get steps, and others still see their favorite activities recognized.”

Lessons for your own global challenge

• Start small, then scale. A single-office pilot proved the concept before executive sponsorship took it global.
• Make it an annual moment. A fixed month (September) turns the challenge into a tradition people expect.
• Let the chat carry the culture. Photos from colleagues around the world made a dispersed company feel connected.
• Reward stories, not just steps. The “Meet a Leader” prize for storytellers created connections that leaderboards can’t.
• Bring it offline. Local coffee walks with General Managers turned a virtual challenge into real meetups.

For more on running challenges across countries and time zones, see wellness challenge storytelling, targeted announcements and how wellness points work. Browse more customer stories, or book a demo to plan your own global challenge.