Most people don't drink enough — and only notice it in the afternoon, when concentration fades and the headache sets in. The Hydration Challenge turns a simple appeal into a collective 21-day experiment: visible, trackable, social.
What does drinking enough actually change in the office?
Even mild dehydration — 1 to 2% of body weight — can measurably impair concentration and mood (Ganio et al., British Journal of Nutrition, 2011). The German Nutrition Society recommends around 1.5 liters of fluids a day. That sounds obvious, but in everyday office life with meetings, deadlines, and cold coffee, many people drink less. The Challenge gives the topic a framework and a goal: track daily, and see together who makes it.
How does the challenge become a lasting habit?
The decisive tip for making it work: visibility. Anyone who keeps a water bottle on their desk drinks more than someone who has to get up and go to the kitchen every time. Teams that use the Challenge to create good drinking conditions — water filters, glasses, visibly placed bottles — create conditions that remain after the Challenge ends. A good complement is the best practice Water Station: Making Hydration Visible.
How do you put the measure in place?
- 1Choose a simple tracking template: 21-day tally sheet on paper or a simple phone reminder
- 2Set the daily goal clearly (at least 1.5 litres of water) and communicate it in a low-threshold way
- 3Check whether water is easy to get – provide water dispensers, carafes or bottles
- 4Explain the challenge: 21 days of conscious drinking, at least 1.5 litres of water every day
- 5Hand out the tracking template and set the common start date
- 6Stress that it is free and simple – raise a first toast with the first bottle
- 7Give a short daily or weekly reminder (e.g. drinking reminder in the morning)
- 8Take part visibly yourself and make your own water bottle a role model
- 9Encourage in between and address small hurdles – e.g. water with lemon or mint for variety
- 10Ask in the team who kept going for the 21 days and how it felt
- 11Reflect on whether conscious drinking has become a lasting habit
- 12Give a small recognition to all participants and collect ideas for the next mini-challenge
What do you need for it?
- Effort
- under 30 min
- Cost
- Free
- Setup
- 10 min
- ✓ Free
- ✓ Simplest tracking
- ✓ Immediately visible
Tax and health insurance: what is possible
Employer health benefits can be tax-free under § 3 no. 34 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) up to €600 per employee per year — if they are provided in addition to the salary already owed and are either certified (§ 20 SGB V) or implemented within the company's health promotion process. Gym memberships and corporate fitness are not covered. For ZPP-certified courses (e.g. from Upfit), German statutory health insurers can reimburse all or part of the course fee to their insured members — then only the amount exceeding that reimbursement is tax-free. Projects within the company can be funded under § 20b SGB V, with no entitlement. Only your tax adviser can confirm the tax exemption.
How it works in EasyWHP
This Best Practice in EasyWHP: adopt it, adapt it, measure the effect
Once adopted, the measure is ready in EasyWHP — with instructions, an invitation and surveys before and after. You adapt what fits your company and see at the end what it achieved.
Screenshots with demo data, no real people.
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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Contributes to
Measure the impact with
Action field
Nutrition →A fitting occasion
- World Water Day
Related Best Practices
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