Healthy Workplace Newsletter | June 2020

The Healthy Workplace Committee is committed to creating a healthy, safe, and supportive work environment for our campus, especially in this new world of working remotely.   Through combined partnerships across our University, we have established a network of connections to provide employees with resources to help maintain that healthy workplace environment while some of us work in the “new normal” of the home office.

We know it can be challenging to maintain your health and wellness when things seem to be turned upside down and a little uncertain.  We want to help you be healthy in all aspects of your life, and to do that we are providing you with a variety of resources to set you on your way.

• Employee information and resources
• Employee and Family Assitance Program
• Government of Canada’s Wellness Together Canada program 
• The Canadian Mental Health Association -
• Safety Office Ergonomic Tip Sheet]
• Organizational and Human Development's Community Connect Webinar Series 

Work-Life Balance Quiz

Are You in Balance? More than ever before, Canadians play many different roles in their lives. They are workers, parents, spouses, friends, caregivers of elderly relatives and volunteers in their communities. They must also make room in their lives for taking care of their own physical and mental well-being. Not surprisingly, achieving balance among all these competing priorities can be difficult. This overload can be heightened by new technologies that were actually intended to make our work lives easier – through email, cell phones and other electronic devices, many workers are expected to be available 24/7, making the achievement of a balance between work and the rest of our lives even more difficult. Read more ... 

5 Inspiring TED Talks for HR: Experts take to the stage with insights on the future of work, productivity and leadership

There’s nothing like a great motivational speech to lift your spirits – especially in a time of uncertainty in the world of work. As management practices shift to an employee-centric mindset and grapple with the challenges of digital transformation, questions continue to arise. How do we hire the right talent? How do we keep employees happy and engaged? How do we fix the productivity paradox?  Read more... 

Conference Board of Canada Info - Free sessions

A series of free wellness videos presented by Dr. Bill Howatt from the Conference Board of Canada. Each video is 9-15 minutes in length captures a different topic each week. The videos provide you with tips, ideas, and strategies to enhance your mental health. 

Here is a sample of just one of the series:

Happiness at Work 

Happiness, whether at work or in life, is not an ideal state of more pleasures and fewer worries. It is a way of living that we can consciously choose by acceptance, understanding, communication, and trust. If we wake up with determination, work with dedication and go to bed with satisfaction – we have already attained Arbedjsglæde. It is a common word in Denmark, which means happiness at work.
Read more ...

Employee & Family Assistance Program

As part of the Employee Assistance Program (Policy 67), University of Waterloo employees and their dependent family members have a range of health and wellness services under the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), provided by Homewood Health Inc.™. The program is a complement to the current benefits program, at no additional cost to employees.

Homewood Health offers short-term, confidential counselling that includes face-to-face (flexible hours), telephone or online sessions for a variety of reasons. The program also includes Life Smart Coaching and other online services. 

Please be assured that the program is confidential. Your private information, including whether you or your dependents have accessed the program, is never shared with family members or the University. Learn More... 
 

Questions?

Please contact us at healthy.workplace@uwaterloo.ca with any questions or comments.