Survey: Public, Academic Libraries Largely Match Supply, Demand in Wellness Initiatives

By Jamie Bragg

This third installment of Library Worklife’s analysis of the 2009-2010 Library Workplace Wellness online survey examines not only which initiatives are most commonly offered in each library type but also which offerings are most popular among workers. Of particular interest are wellness initiatives that are rarely offered but are highly popular, or initiatives that are commonly offered but suffer low participation. Interpretation of this data in terms of supply and demand sheds light on a number of questions: which initiatives are most commonly offered in each type of library, and what does this data reveal about priorities and funding capabilities in these respective institutions? Which programs are most popular among employees in each type, and what can these trends tell us about employee needs in each type of library?

Of the 616 respondents, 609 specified the type of library in which they work. Of the 609 respondents, 352 work in public (referred to in the tables as P), 185 work in academic (A), 23 work in school (Sc), 28 work in special (Sp) and 21 identify their libraries as “other”(O). Because the respondents were allowed to choose more than one initiative, the total number of initiatives selected often exceeds the number of respondents. For example, in response to the question, “Which of these workplace wellness activities does your library offer? Check as many as apply,” 562 respondents selected 1,797 initiatives. When asked, “Do you take advantage of any of these activities?” the 502 respondents selected 836 initiatives.

Public

 

Table 1 showsthe most utilized worklife initiatives among public library workers. At the top of the list is on-site and subsidized childcare (100 percent), although because it was only offered by one respondent’s library, and that respondent participated, it cannot be interpreted as the most popular choice. Telecommuting followed at 75 percent, then work release for continuing education (62.77 percent). The least utilized are discounted/subsidized gym membership and onsite exercise facilities (28.57 and 33.33 percents, respectively) and job sharing (21.05 percent).

According to the conclusion drawn by the last article, the average public library worker participates in 1.43 workplace wellness initiatives. Table 1 below can be interpreted to mean that, on average, any given wellness program offered by public libraries will see a 47.37 percent participation rate.. Generally, the participation in programs offered by public libraries stays within 30 points of the average of 47.37 percent. In other words, although it is not possible to discern whether employees demanded an initiative or it was provided with demand, supply may largely follows demand; these libraries tend to provide the types of programs that employees utilize. One outlier, onsite/subsidized childcare (100 percent), may be explained by a very low (and thus unrepresentative) response rate of 1 respondent.

 

Table 1

Initiative	Offered	Participation	%
Childcare on-site or subsidies	1	1	100.00%
Telecommuting	16	12	75.00%
Work release for continuing education	94	59	62.77%
Health screenings (encouraged to get diabetes, mammograms, prostate cancer, screenings, etc.)	68	42	61.76%
Alternative work schedule	81	47	58.02%
Flu shot given at work	113	62	54.87%
Wellness classes (stress relief, time management, diet/nutrition, smoking cessation, CPR, etc.)	77	37	48.05%
Compressed work week	36	17	47.22%
On-site exercise classes	13	6	46.15%
Leave allowed for children’s school functions	87	33	37.93%
Employee Assistance Plans (EAP)	151	53	35.10%
On-site exercise facilities	12	4	33.33%
Discounts or subsidies for gym membership	70	20	28.57%
Job sharing	19	4	21.05%
Grand Total:	838	397	47.37%

 

 

Academic

 

Academic library employees value flexible scheduling. Data in Table 2 indicates that the most utilized worklife programs among academic library workers are telecommuting (71.43 percent) and alternative work scheduling (68.33 percent), followed by health screenings (63.46 percent). The least utilized options are job sharing and a compressed work week (both 33.33 percent); Employee Assistance Plans at 27.50 percent; and lastly onsite/subsidized childcare (5.56 percent)..

According to data analyzed in last month’s Library Worklife article, the employees of academic libraries are most likely to participate in employer-sponsored initiatives, averaging just over two per respondent (2.06) Table 2 below could be interpreted to show that, on average, any given wellness program offered by academic libraries will see a 48.07 percent participation rate. Academic libraries may tend to match supply to demand even more closely than public libraries do; perhaps because they are on campuses with a variety of stakeholders. The participation in programs offered by academic libraries stays within 20 points of the 47.37 percent average. Again, the outlier is onsite/subsidized childcare, this time with a low of 5.56 percent. However, this outlier is much more representative of responses – 18 respondents report that their employer offers assistance with childcare, but only one of these respondents utilizes that assistance.

Table 2

Initiative	Offered	Participants	Participation Rate
Telecommuting	14	10	71.43%
Alternative work schedule	60	41	68.33%
Health screenings (encouraged to get diabetes, mammograms, prostate cancer, screenings, etc.)	52	33	63.46%
Flu shot given at work	102	61	59.80%
Wellness classes (stress relief, time management, diet/nutrition, smoking cessation, CPR, etc.)	65	37	56.92%
On-site exercise classes	48	24	50.00%
Leave allowed for children’s school functions	34	16	47.06%
Work release for continuing education	55	25	45.45%
On-site exercise facilities	78	30	38.46%
Discounts or subsidies for gym membership	39	14	35.90%
Compressed work week	21	7	33.33%
Job sharing	6	2	33.33%
Employee Assistance Plans (EAP)	80	22	27.50%
Childcare on-site or subsidies	18	1	5.56%
Grand Total:	672	323	48.07%

School

 

Data in Table 3 indicates that school library workers are most likely to participate in health screenings (100 percent), followed by work release for continuing education (80 percent) and wellness classes (66.67 percent). No respondents from school libraries participate in job sharing or an alternate work schedule. Furthermore, no respondents utilize compressed work weeks or telecommuting, because none of the school libraries represented offer those options, which makes sense considering school librarian responsibilities.

As discussed in last month’s LW survey summary, the average school library worker participates in the fewest workplace wellness initiatives of any type of library employee (1.4). On average, any given wellness program offered by school libraries will see a 46.67 percent participation rate, the lowest average reported. Participation in programs offered by school libraries varies widely, with the highest utilized by 100 percent of respondents, and the lowest by none. The wide range may be in part explained by a lower response rate from school libraries proportional to other library types; the data will not be as representative as that from public and academic libraries, more employees of which responded to the survey.

Table 3

Initiative	Offered	Participation	%
Health screenings (encouraged to get diabetes, mammograms, prostate cancer, screenings, etc.)	3	3	100.00%
Work release for continuing education	5	4	80.00%
Wellness classes (stress relief, time management, diet/nutrition, smoking cessation, CPR, etc.)	3	2	66.67%
Flu shot given at work	15	9	60.00%
Childcare on-site or subsidies	2	1	50.00%
On-site exercise classes	2	1	50.00%
Employee Assistance Plans (EAP)	6	2	33.33%
Leave allowed for children’s school functions	12	4	33.33%
Discounts or subsidies for gym membership	4	1	25.00%
On-site exercise facilities	5	1	20.00%
Alternative work schedule	1	0	0.00%
Job sharing	2	0	0.00%
Compressed work week	0	0	0.00%
Telecommuting	0	0	0.00%
Grand Total:	60	28	46.67%

 

 

Special

 

As we see below in Table 4, the most commonly utilized worklife initiatives among special library workers are health screenings, work release for continuing education and at-work flu shots (100, 87.5 and 83.33 percents, respectively). The least utilized are discounted/subsidized gym membership (16.67 percent); Employee Assistance Programs (10 percent); and onsite/subsidized childcare (0 percent).

On average, a special library worker participates in 2.0 workplace wellness initiatives, second only to employees of academic libraries. Table 4 below demonstrates that, on average, any given wellness program offered by special libraries could see a 56.82 percent participation rate, the highest average reported across library types. As is the case with school libraries, participation in programs offered by special libraries varies from 100 percent to zero percent of respondents, and the least popular by none. This wide range may be explained in part by a low response relative to academic and public libraries.

 

 

Table 4

Initiative	Offered	Participation	%
Health screenings (encouraged to get diabetes, mammograms, prostate cancer, screenings, etc.)	4	4	100.00%
Work release for continuing education	8	7	87.50%
Flu shot given at work	12	10	83.33%
Telecommuting	7	5	71.43%
Wellness classes (stress relief, time management, diet/nutrition, smoking cessation, CPR, etc.)	7	5	71.43%
On-site exercise classes	3	2	66.67%
Alternative work schedule	11	7	63.64%
On-site exercise facilities	2	1	50.00%
Compressed work week	5	2	40.00%
Leave allowed for children’s school functions	8	3	37.50%
Job sharing	3	1	33.33%
Discounts or subsidies for gym membership	6	1	16.67%
Employee Assistance Plans (EAP)	10	1	10.00%
Childcare on-site or subsidies	2	0	0.00%
Grand Total:	88	50	56.82%

Other

 

According to data in Table 5, the most utilized worklife initiative among library workers who classify themselves as “other” is health screenings (83.33 percent). This program is followed in popularity by work release for continuing education (77.78 percent); the next most-utilized are at-work flu shots and telecommuting (both at 75 percent). No respondents from “other” libraries use onsite exercise facilities, subsidized/discounted gym membership, compressed work weeks or onsite/subsidized childcare. Furthermore, no respondents utilize job sharing, because none of the “other” libraries represented offer those options.

According to the conclusion drawn by the last article, the average other library worker participates in 1.8 workplace wellness initiatives. Table 5 below demonstrates that, on average, any given wellness program offered by other libraries might see a 50 percent participation rate, the second highest average reported. Participation in programs offered by special libraries varies almost as widely as participation reported in school and special libraries (83.33 percent to zero percent). Again, this wide range may be explained in part by a low response relative to academic and public libraries.

 

Table 5

Initiative	Offered	Participation	%
Health screenings (encouraged to get diabetes, mammograms, prostate cancer, screenings, etc.)	6	5	83.33%
Work release for continuing education	9	7	77.78%
Flu shot given at work	8	6	75.00%
Telecommuting	4	3	75.00%
Wellness classes (stress relief, time management, diet/nutrition, smoking cessation, CPR, etc.)	6	4	66.67%
Alternative work schedule	9	5	55.56%
Leave allowed for children’s school functions	9	4	44.44%
On-site exercise classes	3	1	33.33%
Employee Assistance Plans (EAP)	8	1	12.50%
Childcare on-site or subsidies	2	0	0.00%
Compressed work week	3	0	0.00%
Discounts or subsidies for gym membership	3	0	0.00%
On-site exercise facilities	2	0	0.00%
Job sharing	0	0	#DIV/0!
Grand Total:	72	36	50.00%

We are excited to explore the results of this important survey, and the next issue of Library Worklife will conclude the discussion. August’s article will discuss responses to the survey’s open-ended questions. These questions include: “Do staff in your library collaborate on activities, like walking clubs and healthy potlucks? Please describe,””If your library does not offer any of these activities, why do you think this is the case?” and “Do you think these activities are important? Why or why not?” The article will discuss how responses to these questions complicate and reinforce the quantitative data. All articles in this series will be available on the ALA-APA website on the Salaries page.

Posted in Statistics |Comments Off on Survey: Public, Academic Libraries Largely Match Supply, Demand in Wellness Initiatives