Employee health and wellness survey. A mixed method study on the health knowledge, attitude, perception and behaviour of contracted employees in Kenya

Abstract

Background Employee wellness is gaining momentum in Kenya’s corporate world as companies now strive to expand their previously HIV workplace programmes into comprehensive employee workplace programmes that integrate health promotional initiatives. Considering the rise of non-communicable diseases in Kenya, this approach is more inclusive of not just the physical needs but also of the social and environmental aspects of employees’ lives. The purpose of the mixed methods study is to gain an understanding of the factors associated with the illhealth of the contracted employees of a telecommunications company in Kenya (Safaricom Limited). To achieve this, aspects related to the health knowledge, attitude, perceptions and behaviour regarding the employees’ health, the workplace environment as well as causes and level of stress of the employees were investigated. Methodology A pragmatist worldview informs the convergent parallel design of this mixed methods study conducted between 4th. to 31st. May 2012 which consists of a quantitative strand using an online survey and a qualitative strand using interviews. Information gathered from a sample of 145 survey participants who were sample through quota sampling method, was used to (1) describe the employees’ health situation and (2) to test the associations between work related stress with level of work related stress, between level of work related stress and health problems occurring due to work life and between the health problems due to work life and absenteeism due to illness. Data from 7 interviewees who were selected through convenience sampling methods was used to gather information on themes related to the illhealth of the employees. The goal of using a mixed methods approach is to compare results so as to gain a broader understanding about the wellness needs of the employees than that which would be obtained by either one of the methods.