Workplace Wellbeing Case Study:

How University of Queensland Improved Participation Across a Large Academic Workforce

A flexible workplace wellbeing approach that helped academic and professional staff build sustainable movement and wellbeing habits within cognitively demanding workdays.
Maintaining participation in wellbeing initiatives can be difficult in academic environments where workloads are mentally demanding, schedules are unpredictable, and work is often sedentary.

The University of Queensland implemented the 15 Minute Exercise Challenge and 5 Minute Wellbeing Challenge to make wellbeing more achievable, practical, and sustainable within real working conditions.
85%
met WHO physical activity guidelines
84%
reported improved overall health
79%
maintained healthy habits 6 months later
93%
would participate again

Organisation Overview

Industry: Higher Education
Workforce: 7,500+ Employees Across Academic & Professional Staff
Location: Australia
Program: 15 Minute Exercise Challenge & 5 Minute Wellbeing Challenge

The opportunity

Maintaining consistent participation in wellbeing initiatives can be particularly challenging within academic environments.
At the University of Queensland, staff work across teaching, research, and professional roles that often involve sustained cognitive demand, competing priorities, and largely sedentary routines. While awareness of wellbeing is generally high, translating that awareness into consistent daily action can be much more difficult.
Traditional wellbeing initiatives can struggle to maintain engagement if they feel too time-consuming, difficult to sustain, or disconnected from the realities of academic work.
UQ wanted an approach that could:
Fit into cognitively demanding and time-constrained workdays
Support both movement and mental wellbeing
Feel credible and relevant within an academic environment
Encourage sustainable daily habits rather than short-term motivation
Remain achievable across a diverse academic and professional workforce

The approach

Designed to support both movement and mental wellbeing through small, achievable daily actions that fit into real working days.
The University of Queensland implemented a flexible, habit-based wellbeing approach that combined the 15 Minute Exercise Challenge and the 5 Minute Wellbeing Challenge.
Rather than relying on high motivation, large time commitments, or ideal routines, the program focused on low-friction daily actions that staff could realistically maintain alongside teaching, research, meetings, and administrative responsibilities.
Participants:
Engaged in short, achievable daily actions
Chose activities that suited their schedules, preferences, and energy levels
Participated in small teams to support accountability and consistency
Tracked progress through a simple online platform
Teams were ranked on consistency, not intensity
The goal was to introduce a practical wellbeing approach that staff could realistically maintain alongside the demands of day-to-day university life.

Two Ways to Participate

15 Minute Exercise Challenge
Focused on building consistent daily movement through simple physical activity that could fit into busy academic schedules.
5 Minute Wellbeing Challenge
Focused on short wellbeing actions such as mindfulness, reflection, gratitude, mental reset, and recovery habits.
Both programs were designed to make participation feel practical, flexible, and sustainable - allowing staff to engage in ways that felt relevant to their individual working patterns and wellbeing needs.
The program was supported by regular communication and engagement prompts to help maintain momentum and reduce participation drop-off over time.

Why it worked

The program succeeded because it made wellbeing feel achievable within the realities of academic work.
Low daily commitment
Short daily actions (5–15 minutes) made participation realistic
alongside cognitively demanding work, meetings, teaching
responsibilities, and competing priorities.
Flexible across roles, schedules, and energy levels
Staff could participate in ways that suited their individual working
patterns, preferences, and wellbeing needs - making the program
accessible across both academic and professional roles.
Supported both movement and mental wellbeing
By offering both exercise and wellbeing-focused options, the
programsupported physical activity, mental reset, and sustainable
daily recovery habits.
Team-based accountability
Small teams helped create consistency, shared participation,
encouragement, and stronger connection across faculties and
departments.
Practical and credible within an academic environment
The program focused on evidence-aligned, achievable actions that
felt relevant within a university setting rather than adding additional
pressure or complexity.
Built for sustainable participation
In academically demanding environments, engagement is more likely
when wellbeing feels realistic and easy to maintain within
day-to-day work.
By reducing participation barriers and focusing on repeatable daily behaviours, the program helped staff build sustainable wellbeing habits that continued beyond the challenge itself.

The results

The combined approach delivered strong participation and measurable wellbeing outcomes across UQ’s academic and professional workforce.
Participation & engagement outcomes
77% exercised more than they otherwise would have
93% would participate again
89% would recommend the wellbeing challenge
Strong engagement sustained across both programs
Consistent participation maintained across academic and
professional teams
Health & Wellbeing Outcomes
85% met or exceeded recommended physical activity guidelines
84% reported improved overall health (Exercise Challenge)
80% reported improved overall health (Wellbeing Challenge)
53% felt more energetic and productive at work
Participants reported improvements in Sleep, Energy, Mood,
Fitness Leveland Overall Health
Workplace & team outcomes
Increased interaction and connection across teams and faculties
Improved accountability and shared participation
Greater visibility of wellbeing within day-to-day working life
More consistent wellbeing behaviours integrated into daily routines
Long-term impact (6 months later)
79% maintained the healthy habits they developed during the program
The program achieved strong engagement by making wellbeing feel achievable, credible, and realistic within a cognitively demanding academic environment.

What this shows

The University of Queensland’s results demonstrate that strong participation in workplace wellbeing programs is achievable within academically demanding environments when the approach is practical, flexible, and credible.
By focusing on small, sustainable daily actions, the program made it easier for staff to engage consistently alongside teaching, research, and professional responsibilities.
The combined approach helped:
Support both physical activity and mental wellbeing
Engage staff across academic and professional roles
Build sustainable habits rather than short-term motivation
Improve overall health, energy, and wellbeing
Maintain participation without adding pressure or complexity
The results show that wellbeing initiatives are more likely to succeed when they fit naturally into real working conditions and reduce the barriers that typically limit ongoing engagement.

Participant experience

Participants consistently described the program as achievable, motivating, and easy to maintain within busy academic workdays.
“Five minutes is short enough to eliminate excuses, yet long enough to create a noticeable shift in mood and focus. These tiny actions really add up.” - 5 Minute Wellbeing Challenge participant
“Having a 15-minute goal made exercise feel achievable. Being part of a team helped me stay consistent and build a routine that’s continued.” - 15 Minute Exercise Challenge participant
“The challenge helped me become more intentional about taking small breaks throughout the day. It improved both my energy and focus during busy periods.” - 5 Minute Wellbeing Challenge participant

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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