How to make your employees take the stairs

T​aking the stairs instead of the elevator benefits people’s health in so many ways, yet many keep struggling to actually pick the stairs over the elevator. Over time people are getting increasingly creative in making the stairs a more attractive option than the elevator. 

One of the most creative ànd effective ways ever certainly was the “piano stairs” project in the subway in stockholm, in 2009. A very creative team turned the stairs right next to the escalator in a massive functioning piano. This became a huge success: over 66% more people started picking the stairs over the escalator next to it. People even started posting youtube videos of their symphonies on the internet. This clever idea was consequently picked up worldwide, for example in Brussels during “heart week” metro stairs were transformed into huge pianos, which was a huge success..

As you can see enhancing the fun factor is a really effective way to make people use the stairs more. Of course there may be limitations to the practical application of this idea on the workfloor: obviously the sheer cost, but also the strain it puts on people working close to the stairs. So try to use the idea as an inspiration to make your staircase more attractive to walk through. Most of the time staircases are cold, grey and boring. Make an effort to turn the stairs into one of the nicest places to walk through in the building. Decorate the walls, make sure it’s not icy cold, do not hide them behind a door if possible, but make the stairs more prominently visible than the elevator (most of the time it’s the other way around),... 

Or how about these "calorie stairs" as a little extra motivation?


Putting “fun facts” about stair use on the staircase walls or on the elevator doors as a reminder can give them a little extra push to take the stairs:​

• Stair climbing burns about 7 times more calories than taking a lift.
• For every step you climb, you burn about 0.17 calories, so you burn around a calorie and a half for every 10 steps.
• For buildings with five floors or less, it’s nearly always quicker to take the stairs. Studies show office workers save up to 15 minutes a day by taking the stairs.
• As well as protecting against heart disease, diabetes, stroke and some cancers, stair climbing releases endorphins that produce feelings of wellbeing.