Best Practices in Local Government Wellness Programs: The Benefits of Organizational Investment and Performance Monitoring

Abstract

Over the last 25 years, municipal governments responded to an environment of increasing health care costs by implementing workplace wellness programs. Research reveals that workplace wellness programs can produce performance benefits ranging from reduced health care costs to productivity improvements. However, there is no systematic study of local government wellness programs that identifies the practices that produce cost reductions and productivity improvements. This article presents the results of a national survey of wellness programs in U.S. municipalities. We develop an index of program success using performance data from our sample. Statistical analysis reveals that targeted investments and performance monitoring, at both the individual and program level, serve to reduce costs and improve employee productivity. This research, thus, provides evidence for best practices in local government wellness programs. Given the array of potential benefits of wellness programs and the locus of employers in the provision of health care benefits, it is necessary to further investigate wellness programs in U.S. local governments.

Building a culture of workplace wellness: Perspectives from Philippine organizations

“…Those who reported these were larger organizations. This is consistent with findings of Sabharwal et al (2016) that less than half of US cities in their sample conducted formal evaluations of their wellness programs. This suggests that evaluation is one area that organizations may need more capability, especially given its importance for program success (Sabharwal et al, 2016).…”

“…Company investments in employee health are likewise associated with lower absenteeism, increased job satisfaction, improved productivity and a more positive corporate image (Lee, Blake, & Lloyd, 2010). Wellness programs have also been found to reduce health care costs and improve productivity among local government offices in the Unites States (Sabharwal, Kiel, & Hijal-Moghrabi, 2016). …”

Well-Being Lessons for Improving Charities’ Online Recruitment

“…Given the relative scarce knowledge on the topic, and array of potential benefits of wellness programs, it is necessary to approach and to investigate these programs further and deeper (Sabharwal et al, 2019). For instance, the workplace can provide an environment of social support with opportunities for direct communication with employees to support and encourage healthy lifestyle choices.…”

The Impact of Human Resources Environment and Organizational Identification on Employees’ Psychological Well-Being

“…Societies today are more concerned about healthy workplaces than ever before (Burton, 2010) and are taking keen interest in health issues not only to minimize health expenditures but also for using well-being as a key indicator of national prosperity (e.g., as seen in national initiatives such as the UK’s Happiness Index and the EU’s Quality of Life Survey and in global initiatives such as the Social Progress Index and the World Happiness Report; Helliwell et al, 2013). One way to respond to this issue in the workplace is to design Human Resource Management (HRM) practices that focus on employee well-being (Sabharwal et al, 2019; Schulte et al, 2015). However, due to the rise of New Public Management, most HRM research in public sector organizations mainly focuses on practices used to enhance organizational performance (e.g., Blackman et al, 2019; Vermeeren et al, 2014) while ignoring the well-being of public personnel.…”