Sutter County HR highlights 'Be Well' program, reports participation and health metrics

Sutter County’s HR director Veronica Baumgartner presented a year‑end recap of the county’s "Be Well" employee wellness program to the Board of Supervisors, outlining activities, participation metrics and reported improvements in staff work‑life balance.

Baumgartner described the program as voluntary, homegrown by employees, and organized around five pillars: physical, mental, financial, occupational and social wellness. Key figures cited for program year 24–25 included 31 wellness clubs, 17 wellness captains, 38 group activities, 41 engagements and 696 employees completing the program survey.

The presentation included participation metrics: 96 employees participated in a multi‑distance challenge; the "Sutter steps into wellness" challenge reported 301 employees and a combined 51,600,000 steps (presenter approximated that as roughly 25,000 miles); a reading challenge drew 106 employees who logged a combined 4,053 hours.

Survey findings presented by HR showed a reported 4% increase among participants who said the program had value and a rise to 68% of participants reporting improved work‑life balance. Baumgartner credited the program with improved camaraderie and cross‑department engagement and noted that the county sponsors activities, app subscriptions and local partnerships to support staff wellness.

Supervisors praised the program and exchanged lighthearted comments about departmental contests and personal participation challenges. The board expressed continued support for the program and asked staff to keep reporting performance measures annually.