"I'm Dealing With My Whole Health Right Now": A Qualitative Study of Veteran's Administration Employees Participating in Employee Whole Health.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine individual experiences of participation in an employee wellness program at the Veterans Health Administration. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 31 employees from seven VA Medical Centers. Transcripts were analyzed using rapid qualitative analysis. 1) Activities : employees participated in a variety of activities; choice of activities varied due to their role at work. 2) Impact : employees found that participating in Employee Whole Health helped reduce stress, schedule in breaks, put themselves first, connect with others, and improved productivity. 3) Barriers and facilitators : barriers were often outside of employees' control. If the organizational culture supports employee wellness participation through positive messaging and policies, there is social support for participation from colleagues and supervisors, and the activities are convenient in terms of timing and physical location, employee wellness participation is much more likely.