Stairs, lights and communication to nudge employees to use the stairs over the lifts to help increase physical activity rates for improved health outcomes.

1. 1
Moor-foot Less- lift Project Summary Report – penultimate draft
1.0 Introduction and Project Aims
We know that sedentary working can have negative impacts on physical and mental health, and
stair climbing is a simple and effective way to fit moderate exercise into the day - improving health
and wellbeing1
. Each year the body of evidence is growing and indicates that prolonged
sedentary behaviour increases the risk of several chronic health conditions and all-cause
mortality2
i.e. it negatively impacts overall life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (how long
people are living in poor health).
To support the implementation of the SCC Being Healthy at Work Strategy3
, this project aimed to
1. Increase individual and organisational knowledge of the benefits of physical activity
2. Encourage more people to take advantage of the stairs as a simple, accessible, free way to
put more activity into daily routines and promote wellbeing- Targets included
➢ Short term (3-12 months) - an increase in foot traffic in the stair wells.
➢ Long term (12 months+) - habitual patterns will change and taking the stairs will become
‘automatic’ to staff.
3. Increase individual and organisational knowledge of the benefits and application of
Behavioural Science and increase the likelihood of changes drawing on and key
behavioural change models (COM-B and Behavioural Insights (BI) – EAST – see
appendices and reference 4
below).
Additional Objectives included:
• Encouraging staff to have positive (Healthy) conversations with others about the importance
of daily activity
• Reduction in lift usage to reduce wear and tear and make lifts more available for people
who are unable to use the stairs due to an illness or disability
2.0 Summary of Project Activity:
A project steering group of key stakeholders was established and research into possible
interventions was undertaken.
Peak time observations were carried out before intervention to establish a baseline figure for
stair/lift use and half way through to assess impact. Also, an online staff survey was conducted in
which staff were encouraged to express their views and use of the stairs.
The project interventions included installing light strips on both main stairwells in Moorfoot.
Motivational posters and banners were placed on the stairs and in lift lobbies, to encourage stair
use. An Intranet banner was commissioned for the project’s launch, with pages to provide further
1
Ref to CMO guidelines on activity and reducing sedentary behaviour https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-
physical-activity-guidelines
2
Research from Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University published online in the Journal of Epidemiology &
Community Health 2019. https://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2019/03/28/jech-2018-211758
3
The Council has a Being Healthy At Work Strategy with three objectives including increasing activity, available via the SCC
Intranet https://intranet.sheffield.gov.uk/home/hr/health-safety-and-wellbeing/being-health-at-work-strategy
4
The EAST framework developed by the Behavioural Insights Team https://www.bi.team/publications/east-four-simple-ways-to-
apply-behavioural-insights/

2. 2
information and encourage stair use by offering ‘personal goals’ sheets and other downloads. Pull-
up banners and directional signage were placed in main public areas to provide prompts at points
of decision. Staff and visitors were also signposted the stairs as the first option by reception staff.
Finally, a further staff survey was conducted post-intervention to gather feedback.
3.0 Overall Findings
The project evaluation showed that:-
1. The interventions used were successful in increasing stair use in Moorfoot and
Employees will respond positively to new and novel ways to make the workplace more
enjoyable
2. There is a lot of staff interest in improving wellbeing via workplace wellbeing initiatives -
the Moor-foot Less-lift stair-use project was generally a well-received initiative and
enabled positive wellbeing messages and activities to be introduced in a fun way.
3. Investment in the stairwells is needed to sustain stair use by meaningfully and
permanently upgrading the environment to make it a more attractive option. This could
be achieved by repainting the stairwells, improving ventilation, putting in colourful vinyl
treatments on the walls. Whilst this is probably the single most important intervention
moving forward, there is interest in other novel ‘nudges’ to prompt additional use and it
would be beneficial to do this periodically. These could also be built into longer term
wellbeing initiatives such as city centre walks or active travel initiatives and this could
also be linked to the vinyl treatments.
4. Behaviour science has a beneficial role to play in shaping any work the Council is doing
to influence how people work with others to support positive changes to habits or
behaviours
5. The project has supported some useful workforce development and all team members
reported that they would apply behavioural science to their work moving forward,
including staff wellbeing initiatives. But there is more the team and the Council can
usefully learn about applying COM–B and Behavioural Insights (BI) to future work. This
would increase the likelihood of behavioural science and insights being effectively
applied across a range of roles, including use in day-to-day tasks as well as
implementation in large or small scale projects.
6. Staff time and finance to fund interventions was severely limited, impacting on
outcomes, highlighting the need to embed wellbeing initiatives within business as usual.
7. The project would have benefitted from a clearer focus on the behaviour change target
and evaluation plan from the outset.
8. Equality impacts assessments need to be carefully developed and consulted on for all
staff wellbeing initiatives. The project benefited from good consultation with disabled
members of staff and highlighted the need to take account of staff concerns when
designing interventions e.g. stair lights.

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4.0Project Activity
4.1 Project leadership and support
Key stakeholder services formed the core project team and others provided support.
Core Team
• Isobel Howie (Learning and Development Consultant Director of Public Health Office, SCC)
• Andy Picken (Workplace Health and Wellbeing Specialist – Move More)
• Deborah David (Senior Health, Safety & Wellbeing Consultant – HR – Strategic H,S&W
Group Lead Officer, SCC)
• Elaine Goddard (Health Improvement Principal – People Portfolio/ Strategic HS&W Group)
• Mark Cummins (Facilities Manager – TFM, SCC)
• Oliver Snowden (Graduate Trainee Health, Safety & Wellbeing Consultant – HS&W, SCC)
Project Support
• Jamie Bates (Politics Placement Student – SHU 2019) – Project and evaluation support
• Lacey Booker (Psychology Placement Student – SHU 2018) – Project support
• Nigel Lamb (Public Health Work Experience - 2018) – Evaluation support
• Rachel Staniforth (Specialty Registrar – Faculty of Public Health Registrar Scheme - 2018)
– Project scoping and development
• Dr Ben Heller (Principle Research Fellow – SHU Centre for Sports Engineering Research)
– offered free consultancy on the Stair lights.
Work was also commissioned from the following
• Mark Rocca – Produced ‘Move More’ branded communication materials
• Places for People – put ‘free’ positive messages on the stairwells and lobbies to encourage
stair use and links to the workforce wellbeing suite
• SCC Comms Service – provided SCC consultancy and communication materials
ALL commissioned project work was funded by finance from the MECC Healthy Conversations
project.
4.2 Key project developments included
i. Desk based research and visits to other organisations undertaking stairs initiatives esp.
Step Jockey interventions5
.
ii. A project plan was developed using the research and project team to inform the choice of
interventions below
iii. Behavioural Insights informed interventions:
• Posters were put in place to direct and motivate staff to
use the stairs. These included Point of Decision posters
on all floors (Easy/Timely). Also three sets of motivational
posters in the stair wells, with a quarterly refresh between
March 18 – December 19 (a fourth minor refresh was
done Feb 19)
5
https://www.stepjockey.com/

4. 4
• An Intranet banner at the launch of the project and intranet pages to provide further
information and encourage use offering ‘personal goals’ sheets and other downloads.
• Pull-up banners placed in main public areas to provide prompts at points
of decision. Staff and visitors were also signposted the stairs as the first
option (Timely).
• Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) worked with the council to trial the use
of motivational LED strip lights (right) – with three colours travelling at
different paces (slow, moderate and vigorous) - so that people could
‘follow the lights’ up the stairs, introducing a new atmosphere to the
stairwells (Attractive and Social).
• Putting music in the stairwells was considered, and a music licence was
purchased, but it proved too difficult to equipment needed within the ti9mescale of the
project.
• Gamification Ideas were also explored, however it proved too expensive to purchase and
install the electronic equipment needed to track stair use. Other, more cost effective,
gamification ideas were considered but there was insufficient capacity to develop these
ideas during the lifespan of this project.
iv) Equalities Consultations and communications to highlight
the needs of disabled staff or others with specific medical
conditions
5.0 Conclusions from evaluation
5.1 Successes:
1. Data from the follow-up survey suggests the aim of encouraging more stair use was
relatively successful (see Assessment Objective 1)
a. 30.28% reported using the stairs more often (60.55% reported about the same level
of use). However, due to reduced number of respondents - 482 in first survey to 109
in second – it is hard to say how representative this is.
b. The observational analysis suggests there has been an increase in n stair use;
however, again it is impossible to attribute all of this to the project as lift
maintenance, making lifts unavailable, is known to be a factor (as this was noted in
his observation on 09/03/2018: 11 people were prompted to change their mind and
use the stairs after seeing a queue in the lift lobby due to 2 of the lifts being down).
2. The goal of increasing staff wellbeing through increased physical activity was largely
successful amongst those who reported using the stairs more often (see Assessment
Objective 3)
a. Of those who answered the question ‘Has using the stairs more frequently helped
your wellbeing?’ 80% responded positively, with the majority of explanatory answers
mentioning benefits to physical health and fitness
3. Project was well organised by stakeholders and services collaborated effectively (see
Assessment Objective 4)
a. Multiple references in interviews to ‘clearly defined roles’, passion and drive of
leadership and ‘effective teamwork’

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4. Team reported effective and use of behavioural insights to influence behaviour change
(see Assessment Objective 2), felt more informed about behaviour science (see
Assessment Objective 5) and would find it beneficial to learn more
a. Behavioural science was seen as being applicable across roles within the council
(e.g. used to develop Health Needs Assessment)
5. When asked what had influenced their decision
to use the stairs more, the answers receiving the
most positive feedback were ‘posters on the
stairs’ and ‘stair lights’ - with each receiving
57% agree or strongly (see Assessment
Objective 1)
a. This shows that the most effective
interventions were those that enhanced
the atmosphere of the stairs themselves
6. Disabled staff consultations – a number of consultations were held with building users and
specifically with disabled staff via the equalities forum. This lead to specific
communications to support a positive attributed towards people with hidden disabilities.
There were also a couple of concerns raised about photosensitivity. Whilst no evidence of
significant risk was identified, additional posters were put up near the stair lights.
5.2 Shortcomings:
1. More could have been done to incorporate staff comments from the original survey into
the execution of the intervention; such as improve the environment of the stairs as well
as reward staff for stair use
a. When asked what would encourage them to use the stairs more often, the two most
frequent responses before the intervention, related to improving the uninviting
stairwell environment (with vinyl wall art and/or music) and a desire to be rewarded
(i.e. a free coffee from Flavours, or flexi time starting when they enter the building
rather than at their desk)
b. Responses to the follow-up survey shows that the conditions of the stairwells is still
the primary concern after the intervention
i. Unfortunately, these interventions would only be possible if greater
financial resources had been allocated to the project and so were not
actionable at this time
2. There was a loss of momentum towards the end of the project
a. Responses in interviews suggested that the ‘novelty’ had worn off – particularly of
the stair lights, for example
b. This could also be reflected in the drop-off of survey respondents
c. Lack of financial ability to sustain the project was also a factor identified by project
staff
3. The project did not undertake a sufficiently robust equalities impact assessment in the initial
planning stages. However, this was rectified during the project, leading to some changes.

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5.3 Building design/ refurbishment considerations:
• The lift refurbishment scheme (started summer 18) increased wait time and reinforce stair
usage. This constituted an extraneous variable which probably did skew the results of
observations.
• The very design and structure of the Moorfoot building
encourages lift use; The pictures (right) illustrate this), there
are a series of three barriers immediately beyond which is
the lift lobby - meaning that people often walk in an straight
line to the lifts, ‘choosing’ the stairs means requires as left
turn to ‘find’ the main stairs tucked away in the corner of
the reception area
• Early observations noted that people entering the building
had already decided whether they were taking the stairs or the lift,
and this was most often indicated by which ‘turnstile’ they used – i.e.
use of the left turnstile (closest to the stairs) meant they were
planning to use the stairs, Use of the two (aligned with the lift lobby)
meant they planned to use the lifts or go to the North Wing and the
Moorfoot Learning Centre. Action was taken to try and combat this
influence in the form of pullup banners (right) placed at the ‘point of
decision’ before the barriers
5.4 Use of behaviour science
The project was developed with reference to behavioural insight. However, more focus could
have been placed on this and a wider COM – B analysis. It was also regrettable that the project
could not fund/resource any ‘gaming’ incentives for the stairs, but should be noted that staff
themselves did their own ‘gaming’ initiatives – so there is clearly an appetite for this. It is also
regrettable that the music in the stairwells trail was not achieved, as this was something that
captured the imaginations of staff when discussed. It is clear from the evaluation that there are
areas where the Council could use what we know about peoples motivations to promote further
stair use by making the stairs more attractive, clearer to access etc. However, this will require
investment to make the stairs environment as or more attractive as the newly refurbished lifts.
Evaluation
Methodology of Data Collection:
The Moor foot Less lifts initiative was implemented on 7th
of March 2018.
In January 2018 an online employee survey was conducted for staff that worked in, or regularly
visited, Moorfoot – receiving 482 responses. It aimed to highlight staff perceptions of and barriers
to stair use, with emphasis on the inclusion of staff ideas for boosting usage. A further survey was
conducted in July 2018 to assess the impact of the intervention and gauge how it was received
within the organisation – receiving 109 responses.
Analysis of pre-intervention survey responses allowed employee concerns to be considered during
the execution of the project. Post-intervention survey analysis provided an assessment of

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employees’ views regarding elements of the project; including posters, stair lights and
communications.
Observations were conducted during peak times (7:30-9:30am) in February prior to the
intervention, to calculate a baseline figure for stair and lift use in Moorfoot. The initial observation
was done on one day for each stair well and provided some useful information about stair use.
Further observations were carried out in June and July of 2018, however, the lift refurbishment
programme was started during this period, which may have affected footfall on the stairs due to
reduced lift availability.
Whilst this data provides some useful insights, there are limitations concerning the ‘head count’
results. To increase confidence in the data, a more systematic method could be used to establish
a base level of current usage and future changes to stair usage could be assessed.
Moreover, in February 2019, semi-structured interviews were carried out with key project
stakeholders; namely Oliver Snowden, Deborah David, Andy Picken, Mark Cummins and Elaine
Goddard. These included a series of open and closed questions with the aim to determine how the
aforementioned viewed the project – its successes and shortcomings, the effectiveness of inter-
service collaboration, etc. – as well as their understanding of behaviour science before and after
the project.
A thematic analysis of interview transcripts was then conducted in order to ascertain a broader
view of the project from the perspective of the steering group as a whole.
Assessment Objectives:
The following were used to assess the project:
1. Increased physical activity of staff and reduction in lift usage, lessening wear and tear
2. Increased likelihood of changes through the use of behavioural science
3. Increased confidence in individual understanding of wellbeing, leading to more healthy
conversations around physical health and activity
4. Increased team cohesion by working together and encouraging each other to achieve
milestones
5. Increased knowledge among team members regarding the use of behavioural science and
behaviour insights
Comparative Analysis of Survey Data:
a) Significant drop in number of respondents from - 482 to 109 – between first and second
survey, which limits the extent to which the second set of data can be considered
representative. This could indicate a lack of interest in/engagement with project after the
initial survey
b) The Majority (60.55%) of respondents from second survey report using the stairs ‘about the
same amount’ as in previous months. However, 30.28% reported using the stairs more
often. However, it is impossible to say how much this may have been affected by the
ongoing lift maintenance, which could have prompted more people to take the stairs. E.g. it
was noted in observation on 09/03/2018, that 11 people were prompted to change their
mind and use the stairs after seeing a queue in the lift lobby due to 2 of the lifts being down

8. 8
c) A large proportion of responses from the employee surveys highlighted the need to need to
encourage stairs use by improving the environment of the stairwells. People highlighted that
the stair wells were poorly ventilated, dull and uninviting. Doing more to address these
concerns during the project could have improved project outcomes and is something for the
Council to consider moving forward if it wishes to sustain and increase stair use.
d) When asked which elements of the project influenced respondents’ decision to use the
stairs more often, ‘Posters on the Stairs’ and ‘Stair Lights’ received the most positive
feedback – with each receiving 57% agree or strongly agree. This suggests that the most
effective interventions to increase stair usage are the ones that enhance the environment of
the stairs themselves, which supports the issues raised by staff about the conditions of the
stairwells. However, it is important to note the difficulty associated with self-reporting
influences on behaviour. This is to say that the nature of ‘nudge techniques’ means
individual’s may be influenced by something without consciously realising it
e) Of those who answered the question ‘Has using the stairs more frequently helped your
wellbeing?’ 80% responded positively, with the majority of explanatory answers mentioning
benefits to physical health and fitness
Thematic Analysis of Interview Transcripts:
• Very positive view of project management and organisation
o Multiple references to ‘clearly defined roles’, passion and drive of leadership and
‘effective teamwork’
o The collaboration of different services within the project was seen as beneficial
• Team generally appeared knowledgeable about behaviour science and its applications
o More comfortable with the general principles of behaviour science and its
applications than with specific details, such as the EAST framework components
o Found the use of behavioural insights effective and feel it would be beneficial to
learn more about them
o Found also that it was relevant to their wider roles beyond the project
• Project broadly seen as being well received, despite some strong negativity from a few
individuals over specific concerns; i.e. a couple of concerns raised about photosensitive
medical conditions and the stair lights.
• Project was seen to generate discussion among staff
o Some members of the project team engaged in positive conversations about the
project and there were reports of more positive conversations around wellbeing
taking place
o Employees taking the lift were heard discussing their misgivings about the project
• Project would have benefitted from a more generous allocation of resources – both human
and financial
o More personnel would have allowed further observations to be conducted throughout
the project in order to determine how stair usage fluctuated throughout its different
stages i.e. when posters were changed, when the lights were reinstalled after being
taken down for repair, the launch of intervention compared to the end, etc.
o The interventions were limited to posters, lights and communications - it was not
possible to achieve interventions to introduce gamification, music in the stairwell or
longer term improvements to the stair environment, such as vinyl treatments (good
quality images to on the walls etc.)

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Behaviour is drive by 3 factors Capability, Opportunity and Motivation – COM – B Framework
COM-B - Overview
Refs: Prof. Maddy Arden – SHU Centre for Behavioural Science & Applied Psychology (CeBSAP). For detail on
COM- B see https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42 ‘The Behaviour
Change Wheel – A Guide to Designing Interventions’ 2014 book by Susan Michie, Lou Atkins, Robert West ISBN:
978-1-9-97121-00-5 and NESTA – Realising The Value - Making the Change 2016.
Capability – Skills and Knowledge
✓ Physical capability - skill, strength, stamina e.g. being
able to swim
✓ Psychological capability - knowledge, strength or stamina
to engage or see something through (grit) or a growth mind
set. e.g. attend regular swimming sessions/develop a good technique
Opportunity - Factors that lie outside the individual that prompt
the behaviour/make it possible
✓ Physical opportunity - environment: time, resources,
location cues, e.g. Living near a pool/being able to afford
the entry
✓ Social opportunity - interpersonal influences, social cues and cultural norms
e.g. having friends who swim regularly
Motivation - Conscious goals and decision-making as well as
habits and emotional responses
✓ Reflective motivation - plans (intentions) + evaluations
(beliefs about what is good or bad) e.g. ‘plan to go
swimming’ and evaluations e.g. believe it’s good for you.
✓ Automatic motivation - emotional reactions, desires,
impulses, inhibitions, drive states and reflex responses
e.g. enjoy the water / go every ‘Tuesday’

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Behavioural Insights - EAST Framework – If you want someone to do something, make it Easy,
Attractive, Social and Timely