| This study examined employee participation in a workplace health promotion program, known as a "wellness" program. Many Americans have increased their engagement in unhealthy behaviors over the past few decades and their overall health has worsened (e.g., Dwyer-Lindgren et al., 2015; Kant & Graubard, 2015; Levine & Yeager, 2009). Consequently, in the U.S., chronic illness diagnosis (e.g., cancer, heart disease, diabetes) and medical spending are escalating at exponential rates (Anderko et al., 2012; Ward & Schiller, 2013). To help contain rising medical costs, health experts discuss the need to introduce preventative health strategies into American lives. One suggestion, particularly relevant to the study of organizational and health communication, is the implementation of corporate wellness programs.;Over 80% of U.S. organizations offer coordinated, health-focused "wellness" programs (O'Boyle & Harter, 2014). These programs tend to be comprised of structured activities and initiatives focused on assisting employees to live overall healthy lives and reduce health risks. Regrettably, on average, only 24% of employees who work for organizations that offer wellness programs report participating (Mattke et al., 2013). Scholars have begun to investigate why employees decide to take part in their organization's wellness program. In particular, organizational and health communication scholars have been exploring the role of workplace discourse in employees' participation decisions (Geist-Martin, Horsley, & Farrell, 2003; Geist-Martin & Scarduzio, 2011). To facilitate and add to the existing scholarship in the area, this dissertation study investigated supervisory discourse and its relationship to wellness program engagement.;This research ultimately offers theoretical contributions to the emerging body of workplace wellness research by exploring the role of supervisory, supportive communication on employees' health beliefs, including their wellness program participation decisions. Rosenstock, Strecher, and Becker's (1994) Health Belief Model was used to explore the health beliefs and wellness program participation decisions of employees at one midsize university. A case study approach allowed for a thorough examination of contextual elements that undergird many university settings (particularly non-academic and academic employees working together). Through an in-depth analysis of 27 semi-structured interviews with employees, results indicated that supportive supervisory communication does play an important role in wellness program participation decisions. However, supervisory discourse functions differently in academic and non-academic employees' decision-making practices. This study also offers practical suggestions that both academic and non-academic organizations can utilize to increase employee wellness program participation. |
