
Steps Week: One Week, Three Ways to Walk More
A single movement initiative can easily evaporate in a packed workday – but three that work together in the same week become the talk of the office. Steps Week bundles three low-threshold classics into one shared action: walk more, no sports program required.
Three ways to walk more in one week Steps Week deliberately combines three measures that reinforce each other: the stair challenge makes everyday movement visible, walking meetings put conversations that were happening anyway on their feet, and the lunch walk gives the lunch break a direction – outdoors. None of them require sportswear, sign-up, or budget – together they cover the entire workday: at the desk, in the meeting, during the break.
Why the bundle moves more than any single measure Individual movement nudges compete with a packed calendar and usually lose. Combined into one week, they reinforce each other: someone who took the stairs in the morning is more likely to think of the walk at lunch; someone who experienced the meeting on foot sits down less automatically in the afternoon. The shared frame – one week, one theme – lowers the threshold for each individual action, because no one starts alone.
How the week turns into a habit The appeal lies in the clear start and end: a week is manageable enough that everyone joins in, and long enough that movement starts to feel normal. Steps Week works best when leaders visibly join in and there's a brief look back at the end: what stuck? Often it's exactly one of the three – the regular lunch walk, the Tuesday walking meeting – that becomes a permanent part of the week. The campaign was the occasion; the habit is the result.
Measures included (3)
- 1
Stair Challenge
Print a poster, hang up a counting board, done. Visible throughout the building. Who climbs the most floors in a month? This BGF classic has extremely high visibility and also attracts colleagues who are otherwise less active — because getting started is so easy.
under 30 min · Free
- 2
Walking Meetings
Meetings held while walking instead of sitting. Costs nothing, works immediately, everyone can join. Studies show: movement during conversations boosts creativity by up to 81% (Stanford). Ideal for 1:1 conversations, feedback conversations, and creative brainstorming.
under 30 min · Free
- 3
Lunch Walk
Take a walk together once a week during lunch break — 30 minutes of fresh air, movement, and team building. No equipment needed, no cost. Just go.
under 30 min · Free
How to put it in place
- 1Design a poster: "Take the Stairs – Challenge!"
- 2Hang the counting board in the stairwell
- 3Announce via email + set a goal (e.g. 10,000 floors as a team)
- 4Update the tally weekly
- 5Celebrate the result after 4 weeks
What you need
- Effort
- under 30 min
- Cost
- Free
- Setup
- 30 min
- ✓ Free
- ✓ High visibility in the building
- ✓ Gamification effect
- ✓ Low-threshold for everyone
Eligible for funding: up to €600 tax-free
As part of a structured workplace health process, this measure is tax-free under § 3 no. 34 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) up to €600 per employee per year — BGF-Kompass supplies the process. Certified offers (e.g. from Upfit) are additionally subsidised by statutory health insurers under § 20b SGB V.
Health-insurer funding & tax: how to apply →Adopt it for your company
Register for free — and the measure is ready to go in your cockpit: invitation, feedback survey and appointment are already set up. First cycle, first numbers for the boss.
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