City of Charlotte Wellness Works Program Recognized

Published on December 28, 2023

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Dec. 28, 2023) - The City of Charlotte has earned a 2023 Gold Well Workplace Award by the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA,) one of the most prestigious wellness program awards in the wellness industry.

The City of Charlotte Wellness Works Program is committed to creating a thriving workplace by empowering employees to make their wellbeing a priority at home and at work by offering a comprehensive wellness program.

"I'm very proud of our wellness program. Our mission is to help employees thrive. The creativity and innovation of our wellness offerings make us one of the healthiest places to work and serves as working testament towards meeting that mission," said Human Resources Director Sheila Simpson. "Developing a comprehensive wellness program embodies our quest to enrich the lives of our employees and their families and provides services that meet their unique and changing needs throughout the employment life cycle."

The city was judged on seven pillars including: committed and aligned leadership; collaboration; a wellness strategy; an operating plan; initiatives that support the whole employee; cultivating supportive health-promoting environments, policies and practices; and evaluation, communication and celebrations.

Some highlights of the program that stood out were:

• Connecting employees through wellness campaigns, fitness challenges and events like a water bucket relay and kickball tournament.
• Aligning the program with city benefits. For example, the city offers no- to low-cost care for employees and their families through near-site clinics.
• Offering various financial wellness programs including financial empowerment workshops, life planning challenges, monthly financial wellness webinars and a variety of benefits to support financial health.
• Providing a wide variety of resources to support mental health including worksite programs, supervisory trainings and peer-to-peer programs.
• Designing upward mobility programs such as a mobile food pantry program and financial counseling.
• Enhancing the Wellness Champion Network to coordinate, connect and engage employees within all departments.

The city was awarded a Silver Well Workplace Award in 2021 from WELCOA. It has also been named the No. 1 Healthiest Employer in the 5,000 or more employees category on the Charlotte Business Journal list in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

To learn more about city jobs and benefits, visit charlottenc.gov/jobs.