How Hillsborough County made wellbeing a strategic priority

Many organizations invest heavily in wellbeing education. They launch awareness campaigns, share resources, promote available benefits, and communicate the importance of healthy habits.

Yet even with the best intentions, a common challenge remains: awareness does not always translate into action. That was a lesson Hillsborough County learned firsthand as it continued to evolve its workforce wellbeing strategy.

As Cheryl Murphy, Human Resource Manager overseeing the county's Well4Life program, explained:

"We were providing a lot of information, a lot of education, but I wasn't sure if it was really resonating with everybody."

Rather than simply adding more content, the team changed its philosophy. Instead of asking employees to learn about wellbeing, they looked for ways to help them experience it.

That shift ultimately led them to Navigate. 

Today, Hillsborough County's Well4Life program reaches more than 6,600 employees across a workforce spread over 1,000 square miles, demonstrating how meaningful engagement can become a strategic advantage rather than simply another HR initiative. 

The challenge

Traditional wellness programming often emphasizes education, but information alone rarely changes behavior.

For Hillsborough County, that realization became a turning point. While employees had access to health information and wellbeing resources, the team recognized that simply making those resources available wasn't enough to inspire meaningful participation or lasting habits.

Instead, they began asking a different question: How could they make wellbeing something employees wanted to be part of? The answer wasn't more communication. It was creating opportunities for employees to participate, connect, and build healthy habits together.

With that shift in mind, the team moved beyond simply delivering resources and began designing experiences that encouraged employees to actively engage with their wellbeing. 

The solution

Instead of asking employees to consume more information, Hillsborough County introduced simple, approachable challenges designed to make wellbeing feel achievable.

Their first major initiative was a hydration challenge.

"Our employees just really grabbed onto it. They had so much fun. They had teams and they were competing... not competing to see who would drink the most water, but to complete the challenge."

The challenge accomplished something more important than increasing water intake. It sparked conversations. Employees began checking in with one another, asking questions about preventive care, encouraging healthy habits, and supporting each other's progress.

"That started conversations with other employees. 'Are you going to the doctor? Are you taking care of yourself?' And that's how that kind of evolved."

From there, the organization expanded into movement, nutrition, and financial wellbeing challenges, creating multiple pathways for employees to engage based on their interests. 

Reaching a distributed workforce

Engaging a workforce spread across an entire county required more than good programming. Approximately two-thirds of Hillsborough County employees do not work at a desk, making traditional communication channels less effective.

The Hillsborough County team combined the Navigate app with in-person outreach, ensuring employees could engage with wellbeing wherever they worked while also creating opportunities for meaningful, face-to-face conversations.

As Cheryl explained: 

Those interactions often revealed the true impact of the program beyond participation metrics. Cheryl recalled one employee approaching her during an event with a few simple but powerful words: "You changed my life." 

For Hillsborough County, those moments served as a reminder that while engagement data helps measure progress, the most meaningful outcomes are often reflected in the individual lives touched by the program. 

Results 

Hillsborough County began seeing measurable indicators that the new approach was working. 

The impact wasn't only visible in employee participation and personal stories. It also became evident at the leadership level, as wellbeing earned broader recognition across the organization. 

Cheryl recalled a particularly meaningful conversation with the county's HR director: 

"Our HR director came into my office and said, 'You have the most engaged program in the entire county.' And then to have that be part of our strategic plan going forward to 2030... I was like, 'Whoo, I think we made it.'" 

For Cheryl, that recognition represented more than a milestone for the Hillsborough County’s wellbeing program. It signaled that wellbeing had evolved from a standalone initiative into a strategic priority for the county's future. 

The takeaway 

Hillsborough County's experience illustrates an important lesson for organizations seeking stronger wellbeing outcomes. 

By shifting from information to action, Hillsborough County transformed wellbeing from a standalone program into an initiative that became part of the county's culture and long-term strategy. 

Hillsborough County's story is just one example of how Navigate clients are creating more engaging wellbeing experiences for their employees. 

Watch the full panel discussion to hear Cheryl Murphy, alongside leaders from Nebraska Medicine and Rogue Credit Union, discuss what's working inside their organizations and the lessons they've learned along the way.