How Do Badges Work?

Updated May 12, 2026 Admin

Badges are automatic achievement awards that employees earn by reaching activity milestones in Vantage Fit. With 7 categories and over 25 levels, they provide a steady stream of positive reinforcement — from a first 3,000-step day to completing a marathon distance.

Badge Categories and Levels

1. Daily Steps (10 Levels)

The most common badge category. Employees earn these by hitting step milestones in a single day:

Level Steps Required
1 3,000 steps
2 5,000 steps
3 7,000 steps
4 10,000 steps
5 12,000 steps
6 15,000 steps
7 18,000 steps
8 22,000 steps
9 30,000 steps
10 40,000 steps

Employees earn these badges every time they hit the threshold, not just the first time. Their badge display shows a count of how many times each level has been achieved.

2. Runs (5 Levels)

Earned by completing GPS-tracked runs:

Level Distance
1 1 km
2 3 km
3 5 km
4 10 km
5 42.2 km (marathon)

3. Level Up

Earned when an employee advances to a new level in the app's progression system. Each new level unlocks a badge.

4. Consistency (Streaks)

Earned by maintaining activity streaks — consecutive days of meeting daily targets. The longer the streak, the higher the badge tier. These badges reward showing up every day, even if the activity is modest.

5. Rank (Levels 1-10)

Earned by reaching specific rank milestones on the leaderboard. Employees who consistently perform well and climb the rankings unlock higher rank badges.

6. Challenge Completion

Earned each time an employee successfully completes a challenge from start to finish. Every completed challenge awards a badge.

7. Best Walk

Earned for achieving the highest single-day walking distance milestones. Recognizes exceptional walking effort on standout days.

How Badges Are Earned

Badges are fully automatic. The system monitors employee activity data and awards badges as soon as thresholds are met. There is no manual approval process.

Here is the flow:

  1. Employee completes an activity (walks 10,000 steps, finishes a challenge, etc.).
  2. The system checks if any badge thresholds have been met.
  3. If a threshold is met, the badge is awarded immediately.
  4. The employee receives a notification and sees an animation in the app.

Note: Badge processing happens automatically in the background. In most cases, badges appear within minutes of the threshold being met.

Challenge Completion Badges

Challenge completion badges work slightly differently:

  • They are auto-generated when a challenge ends.
  • All employees who successfully completed the challenge receive the badge.
  • The badge is processed as part of the challenge completion workflow.

Configuring Badges as an Admin

Rewards Hub: Wellness Badges

You can view and configure wellness badge settings from the dashboard:

  1. Go to Rewards Hub in the left sidebar.
  2. Click Wellness Badges.
  3. View the badge categories and their thresholds.

Manual Badge Processing

In some cases, you may need to trigger badge processing manually — for example, if badges were not awarded due to a sync delay or system issue.

Badge processing can be triggered via admin actions in the dashboard. Contact your Vantage Fit account manager if you need guidance on manual badge triggers.

Tip: Manual badge processing is rarely needed. The automatic system handles the vast majority of cases. Use it only when employees report missing badges that should have been awarded.

How Employees View Their Badges

Employees access their badge collection from the app:

  1. Open the drawer menu (swipe from the left or tap the menu icon).
  2. Tap My Badges.
  3. Browse badge categories and see earned and locked badges.
Employee My Badges screen showing earned badges with counts and locked badges dimmed

Each badge shows:

  • Badge icon with an animation when first earned.
  • Achievement count — how many times the badge has been earned (e.g., the 10,000-step badge earned 47 times).
  • Locked badges appear dimmed, showing employees what to aim for next.

What Badges Are (and Are Not)

Badges Are Gamification

Badges are a gamification element designed to motivate through recognition and achievement. They tap into intrinsic motivation — the satisfaction of earning and collecting achievements.

Badges Do Not Have Direct Point Value

Badges themselves do not award VFit points. Points are earned through the separate points system (daily activity, challenge participation, etc.). Badges are recognition-only.

However, badges and points complement each other:

  • Points provide extrinsic motivation (rewards, redemption).
  • Badges provide intrinsic motivation (achievement, collection, status).
  • Together, they create a layered engagement system.

Badge Engagement Data

As an admin, you can see badge-related data in your reports:

  • Most earned badges — Which badge categories are most popular across your company.
  • Badge distribution — How many employees have earned each badge level.
  • Completion badges — How many challenge completion badges have been awarded.

This data helps you understand employee activity patterns. If very few employees have Level 5+ step badges, your step challenges might be set too aggressively. If most employees have consistency badges, your engagement programs are working.

Best Practices

  • Mention badges in challenge communications. "Complete the 30-Day Walk Challenge to earn a Challenge Completion badge!" gives employees one more reason to participate.
  • Celebrate milestone badges. When employees earn high-tier badges (marathon run, 40,000-step day, long streaks), recognize them through your company's wellness communications.
  • Use badge data for program design. If the data shows that most employees are in the 5,000-7,000 step badge range, design challenges with targets in that zone rather than pushing for unrealistic 15,000-step goals.
  • Explain badges to new employees. Include badge information in your onboarding materials. Employees who know about badges from day one are more likely to engage with them.
  • Pair with Wellness Leagues. Badges and Leagues work well together — Leagues provide ongoing tier motivation, while badges celebrate specific moments of achievement.

Need more help? Contact your Vantage Fit account manager or email support@vantagecircle.com.

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