Evaluating the content of workplace wellness programmes in a manufacturing enterprise

Abstract

This research aimed to evaluate the content of workplace wellness programmes in a manufacturing enterprise and the popularity of the wellness programmes amongst the employees in general. The research was restricted to employees in the manufacturing enterprise in the Mpumalanga Province. The design of the study was such that a quantitative method was used for the study and a cross-sectional study design was used, whereby a study was done for a specific point in time. The study was both descriptive and analytical. A total of 91 employees participated in the study and were selected using convenience sampling. The survey was done using SurveyMonkey. The research found that the employees in a manufacturing enterprise are satisfied with the content and benefits of the wellness programmes that are offered in their workplace. Various barriers prevented employees from participating in wellness activities, with the lack of time and high workload being the principal barriers indicated. The primary limitation of this study was limited access to the participants imposed by the hard COVID-19 lockdown regulations. The research concluded that employees are aware of the wellness programmes offered in their workplace and are satisfied with the content and its benefits to them, however, their lack of time and high workload are hindering them from participating in the wellness programmes. The researcher recommended introducing family engagement programmes, such as on-site child development for children of employees at a subsidised rate, to form a multi-disciplinary workplace wellness team that will address all wellness challenges that employees face, and the same multi-disciplinary workplace wellness team will communicate with managers and ensure that the wellness programmes are incorporated in schedule planning.