How One Municipality Went from Under 20% Wellness Participation to 100%

A large municipality had a wellness program that almost nobody used. Participation hovered below 20%. Employees working in cubicles and confined office spaces had limited access to wellness resources, inconsistent supervisor support, and many found the program intimidating or irrelevant to their daily lives.

Sound familiar? Low participation is the number one frustration HR leaders report with their wellness programs. This case study shows it’s a solvable problem.

The 5 Root Causes Avidon Identified

• Small space constraints. Employees in cubicles had no obvious way to participate in wellness during their workday
• Platform underutilization. Employees didn’t know the wellness platform existed or how to use it
• Limited coaching access. Few scheduled appointments meant few touchpoints with actual coaching
• No supervisor support. Employees worried about participating without management backing
• Program intimidation. Many employees perceived wellness as clinical or medical, not relevant to their lifestyle

What Avidon Changed

• Adapted the wellness agenda specifically to employees’ physical environment and daily routines
• Educated leadership so supervisors could actively champion participation
• Brought coaching to employees at their place of work, reducing barriers to access
• Secured supervisor buy-in to create a culture where participation was encouraged, not questioned
• Reframed wellness as everyday lifestyle habits, not physician visits or clinical interventions

The Result

100% employee engagement. Every individual received a one-on-one coaching appointment, and the municipality saw a dramatic shift in its wellness culture. The program went from being ignored to being embraced across the entire workforce.

This case study demonstrates that even the most resistant workforce populations can become actively engaged when the approach is personalized, human-centered, and removes the real barriers to participation.

Inside the Full Report

• Detailed breakdown of each barrier and how it was addressed
• Engagement metrics before and after Avidon’s intervention
• Leadership engagement strategy and implementation timeline
• Lessons applicable to any organization struggling with participation

Download the full case study to see the complete turnaround story and apply these lessons to your own program.