How the City of Mesa Built a Well-Centric Culture
The City of Mesa leverages leadership support, technology, communication, incentives, and fun, community-focused family events to drive participation in their well-being program. The result is a culture of well-being with some pretty impressive results.
well-being program participation
increase in wellness portal registration rates
preventive screenings in 2024
The Ask
The City of Mesa partnered with WebMD Health Services in 2021 to transform their culture with strategies and solutions that embody their 360-degree approach to wellness. The three pillars— community, culture and (friendly) competition—guide their efforts to engage their 5,000 employees and their spouses/partners in all aspects of their well-being.
The Strategy
From the start, the City’s focus was on the value of well-being, not ROI. To accomplish their goals, they built a program grounded in 8 key elements:
Leadership support.
The City of Mesa’s leadership team has championed the well-being program for over a decade. Not only are they committed to financial support of the program, they are active well-being influencers who participate in program events to show their commitment to the wellness mission.
Wellness champion network.
A robust wellness champion network with representatives from every department in city government helps to harness support and drum up enthusiasm for the program. They meet monthly to review employee feedback and plan initiatives. The City keeps wellness champions motivated with a special incentive program that lets them earn points toward gift cards and prizes. The City of Mesa offers the well-being program to spouses/partners; currently 38% of spouses participate. They also involve the whole family in fun events like the Spring into Fitness 5k walk/run.
Regular employee feedback.
The City of Mesa uses quarterly WebMD Health Services Pulse Surveys to gather employee feedback and interests.
Targeted communications.
To reach employees where they are, the City uses a combination of communication tactics: biweekly LiveWell emails; the wellness portal, which keeps folks up to date on wellness happenings; and a continuous social media feed on the Inside Mesa app. Every new hire also learns about well-being offerings during orientation.
Strategic use of technology
A wellness portal and content hub serve as the anchor of the wellness program, allowing participants to stay connected 24/7 and get information about WebMD resources as well as City events. This 24/7 access is critical to keeping a workforce with different occupations and shifts in the know.
Refreshed incentive design.
The City of Mesa has taken a fresh look at incentives, increasing the diversity of incentives offered and rewarding employees for receiving preventive care exams, such as dental and vision, and screenings, like colonoscopies. Employees collect points for engaging in the well-being program and receive a $50 gift card for every 250 points earned. Earning 1,500 points in a year results in a paycheck credit to offset health insurance premium costs; this is available to both employees and their spouses/partners.
Dedicated well-being support.
Having an onsite Health Coach has given visibility to the wellness program and provided the human touch that is so essential to achieving well-being goals.
Family involvement.
The City of Mesa offers the well-being program to spouses/partners; currently 38% of spouses participate. They also involve the whole family in fun events like the Spring into Fitness 5k walk/run.
The Deliverables
360 approach to wellness.
Wellness events focus on more than just physical health. They address emotional, occupational, intellectual, environmental, financial, spiritual, and social dimensions of well-being, too.
Friendly competition that brings people together.
The City’s wellness challenges include Spring into Fitness, Seize the Zs, Beat the Boss, and The Invitational. Employees and families look forward to these events each year. The chance to outstep Mesa’s City Manager during the Beat the Boss Challenge is always a popular one!
24/7 access to the Wellness Portal.
The Wellness Portal empowers employees in their wellness journey with at-their-fingertips access to a content hub featuring WebMD’s expansive collection of health and medical information; personalized recommendations based on their interests and health data; links to City benefits and events; and the chance to give real-time feedback right on the site.
The Results
- Well-being program participation has climbed to 50% of the nearly 6,700 eligible members, which includes employees’ spouses/partners.
- Wellness Portal registration increased by 30% since partnering with WebMD.
- The Spring into Fitness 5k walk/run experienced a 20% increase in attendance over five years, with 650 participants in 2024 and over 800 in 2025.
- Participation in the Beat the Boss Challenge increased by 31% from 2023 to 2024. Over 950 people registered in 2025.
- Almost 700 people signed up for 2024’s Seize the Zzzzs Challenge and 85% completed it.
- The Invitational has a 90% completion rate; total steps increased by 64% from 2022-2023.
- A new 2024 menopause workplace wellness initiative drew 292 participants and featured resources from WebMD and other menopause experts.
- Due to the incentive refresh, City employees received over 8,000 preventive screenings in 2024.
Client Testimonials
Having challenges and things that you and your co-workers all do brings us closer together and pushes us to find our best selves, and it has been fantastic at gaining department morale. I’ve found that it’s not so much about beating the boss at the end; it’s those moments we all have together to chat about a common goal outside of our everyday routines. Beating Chris’s step count is always a nice thing to be proud of, too.”
I would like to share my appreciation for the City of Mesa’s Wellness Coach. I was originally reluctant to try a health coach and didn’t know what to expect. The City’s wellness resources are phenomenal and really demonstrate their care and support for each employee’s overall health. Thanks for providing such a great benefit to City employees!”