The health and wellness of modern federal workers is incredibly different than the first generation of civil servants in 1776.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, WTOP presents “250 Years of America,” a multipart series examining the innovations, breakthroughs and pivotal moments that have shaped the nation since 1776.
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The health and wellness of modern federal workers is incredibly different than the first generation of civil servants in 1776.
If you walked the streets of Philadelphia in 1776 and ran into John Adams, Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin and asked them about “work-life balance,” any of the three Founding Fathers would have looked at you like you had too much hard cider.
Wellness was pretty much non-existent for our nation’s first federal workers.
The jobs were nearly all high-risk and certainly did not have a safety net. This was centuries before 401(K) plans, insurance and the yearly dental appointment.
The one benefit they hoped for was survival, especially by the time of the Second Industrial Revolution during the Gilded Age.
While railroads, steel, and electricity transformed the United States, workers in the private sector and the federal government paid the price with their lives, limbs and long-term health.
Thanks to the dangers those types of jobs presented, people weren’t ‘working for the weekend.’ Instead they were focused on getting home safe and sound.
When the workers left work, they didn’t head to the gym or go on a hike. Instead, many of them needed an alcoholic drink.
That was the way they calmed their nerves and dealt with the physical pain and hardship that they lived with thanks to their jobs.
And sadly, that lifestyle led many to become alcoholics.
A shift in attitudes about wellness occurred nearly two centuries later, when a new generation of Americans led the country.
Nearly 64 years ago, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech that advocated for healthier lifestyles for Americans on the South Lawn of the White House.
“I think mental and physical health go hand in hand,” said Kennedy.
By the 1970s, thanks to the Office of Personnel Management, the first Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) began to address addiction and mental health.
This was the moment when the federal government realized that a healthy workforce was an effective one.
Now wellness for modern civil servants is holistic, covering mental, physical and financial health. And yes, that also includes teeth cleanings.
With access to telehealth, health screenings and retirement plans, today’s civil servants now can work for the weekend while having work-life balance.
So yes, it’s a whole new world for federal workers compared to 250 years ago. It’s as different as early federal workers using a quill and ink on a piece of parchment to employees now having meetings on Microsoft Teams.
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