Workplace Wellbeing Case Study:

How NDIS Built Workforce Engagement Across 130 Locations Australia-Wide

A workplace wellbeing initiative designed to make daily movement achievable and inclusive across a large, distributed national workforce.
Creating engagement in wellbeing initiatives across large and geographically distributed organisations can be difficult - especially when employees work across different teams, locations, and routines.

NDIS implemented the 15 Minute Exercise Challenge to create an inclusive wellbeing initiative that employees across 130 locations could realistically participate in together.
81%
met WHO physical activity guidelines
76%
reported improved overall health
58%
intended to make long-term lifestyle changes

Organisation Overview

Industry: Government
Workforce: 5,000+ Employees Across 130 Locations
Location: Australia
Program: 15 Minute Exercise Challenge

The opportunity

Creating engagement in wellbeing initiatives across large, distributed organisations can be difficult.
NDIA operates across 130 locations throughout Australia, with employees working across different teams, roles, and environments.
Creating a wellbeing initiative that could engage employees consistently at this scale required an approach that was simple, inclusive, and achievable within real working conditions.
NDIA wanted an approach that could:
Create an inclusive initiative accessible across all locations
Encourage sustainable daily movement within busy working days
Strengthen connection and support across teams
Make wellbeing visible and achievable organisation-wide

The approach

Designed to make daily movement achievable and inclusive across a large national workforce.
NDIA implemented the 15 Minute Exercise Challenge as a six-week, team-based initiative designed to support sustainable daily movement across employees working in 130 locations throughout Australia.
Rather than focusing on intensity or fitness level, the program focused on simple, achievable daily activity employees could realistically maintain within busy working days.
Participants:
Committed to 15 minutes of daily activity
Chose activities that suited their routines and preferences
Participated in small teams to build accountability and support
Tracked activity through a simple online platform
Teams were ranked on consistency, not intensity
The challenge encouraged employees to share activities they enjoyed with colleagues - resulting in team-based activities such as yoga, stretching, lunchtime training sessions, and walking groups.

Why it worked

The program succeeded because it made wellbeing accessible, achievable, and inclusive across a large national workforce.
Low daily commitment
A 15-minute daily target made movement realistic within busy
working days and varied schedules.
Inclusive across locations, roles, and fitness levels
Employees could participate regardless of location, role, or fitness level,
making the initiative accessible across 130 locations nationally.
Team-based accountability and support
Small teams encouraged consistency, shared motivation, and ongoing
support throughout the challenge.
Flexible and socially engaging
Employees were able to participate in ways that suited their preferences
and routines, helping wellbeing become part of everyday team culture.
By focusing on small, achievable daily actions, the program made it easier for employees to stay consistently engaged and build wellbeing habits that extended beyond the challenge.

The results

Strong workforce engagement and measurable wellbeing outcomes across a national workforce operating in 130 locations.
Engagement & Activity Outcomes
Strong engagement maintained across teams and locations Australia-wide
Employees supported and encouraged each other throughout the challenge
Increased involvement in team-based wellbeing activities across the organisation
Health & Wellbeing Outcomes
81% met or exceeded WHO physical activity guidelines
76% reported improved overall health
Participants reported improvements in Sleep, Energy, Mood,
Fitness Leveland Overall Health
Behaviour & Engagement Outcomes
Employees reported feeling more motivated to exercise regularly
Wellbeing became a visible and shared part of team culture
Teams created their own wellbeing activities including walking groups,
stretching, yoga, and lunchtime training sessions
Long-term impact
58% intended to make long-term lifestyle changes following the challenge
The program successfully created an inclusive, organisation-wide wellbeing initiative that made daily movement achievable across a large and geographically distributed workforce.

Participant expereince

Participants consistently described the challenge as inclusive, motivating, and easy to maintain within busy working days.
“Participating in the 15 Minute Challenge motivated me to get up andmoving every day. I found I was more productive after having a quick walk, so I will definitely keep it going even though the challenge has ended.”
“I found out that 15 minutes a day exercising is really easy to achieveand very beneficial. Once you get into the habit, it’s been very easy tocontinue post-challenge.”
“We wanted to create an inclusive initiative that everyone had the opportunity to takepart in. The 15 Minute Exercise Challenge motivated staff to be more active and encouragedteams to support each other to engage. It created a positive shared experience across the organisation and helped people realisehow achievable regular movement can be.”
Torbjorn Servin
Branch Manager, Culture, Capability and Performance, NIDA

See how this could work in your organisation

In this 15-minute walkthrough, we can show you how the Workplace Habit System™ works - and how it could apply in your organisation to create meaningful, lasting improvements in health, energy, and overall wellbeing.
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