Worksite wellness program implementation in county organizations: Exploring strategies for success

Abstract

Growing research suggests that successful worksite wellness programs (WWPs) can be effective at reducing health costs and improving employee health. While many studies examine factors that contribute to WWP success, these primarily focus on private organizations, or they group public and private organizations together. However, public organizations encounter unique circumstances, generally, so it is important to examine them in their own right when it comes to WWP implementation. This study assesses what factors are important to WWP implementation in county government organizations. Through a conventional content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) of interview data collected from 18 county government WWP managers, the results provide support to earlier work regarding strategies for successful WWP implementation. However, the results also add to the literature in several ways. While the importance of leadership support is well-documented, this study finds that marketing and communication strategies, which typically focus on promoting employee participation, can also be used to encourage leadership buy-in. The study also suggests that a dedicated wellness coordinator who has some organizational autonomy to make decisions about the WWP is needed. Further, the study highlights the importance of trust-building as a strategy for WWP development and implementation. Finally, it calls attention to the impact of public perceptions on county governments’ WWPs, an influence unique to county organizations.