Keeping Well at Work 2018

When you have a hectic day it’s easier to opt for fast but often less healthy options. In fact, research shows that Canadians are increasingly foregoing home cooked meals for quicker, ready-to-eat foods or restaurant meals. Yet people who eat well have better energy, are more productive and have better physical and mental health. This session will provide simple food strategies for staying energized at work.

Presenter: Sandra Ace, MPH, RD, Health Services Dietitian

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0010

This session is now FULL.

What if you could make attention rather than paying it? Marcel O'Gorman answers this question while sharing his research and design project called "Digital Abstinence." You will have a chance to confess your "digital sins" and learn about an invention called Resistor Case that targets compulsive cell phone use.

Presenter: Marcel O'Gorman, PhD, Professor in the Department of English

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0020

Providing care and assistance to aging family members has become a normative part of life. Private roles become public issues as individuals integrate paid work and caregiving  roles and employers seek to support employees who provide care. For this presentation we will explore some of the solutions that are being developed or considered to support employed caregivers. We will also present recent research on ways people cope and adapt to caregiving roles, and we will be joined by a representative from human resources for questions about UW workplace policies.

Presenter: Dr. Donna Lero, Dr. Steven Mock, and Allison Stewart

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0040

In this session we will talk about the importance of leisure in improving well-being. We will also specifically talk about how travel and exploration positively impact physical and mental health.

Presenter: Naima Samuel, MA student, Graduate Student Association President

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0050

We spend a great deal of time at work and often develop meaningful relationships with our colleagues and other staff members in our workplace. The reality of life is that we all experience the death of family members or significant others. The return to work of a colleague who has been recently bereaved brings us face to face with our own vulnerabilities and feelings concerning grief and often leaves us wondering what to say and how to help the individual who has been changed by the loss. This session will review some grief theory and approaches to best support individuals who return to work at such a difficult time. Through an interesting exercise, we will also address personal feelings as we face the challenges of wanting to support bereaved colleagues as well as possible. 

Presenter: Rabbi Rena Arshinoff

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Location: STC 0060

When walking outside around Ring Road is not possible or desirable during inclement weather, that should not stop you from going for a walk! Our guide will take you through UW buildings, tunnels, and overpasses to complete a loop equivalent to the distance of Ring Road.

Start time: 2:45 p.m.
Starting location: meet in the Lower Hall, STC

This session will examine the interconnection between our relationship with food and our relationship with our bodies. It will discuss the science behind emotional eating and the dilemma of dieting in our present time and culture. To improve these relationships, self-compassion and mindfulness strategies will be explored with participants.

Presenters: Suzanne Dietrich, BA, RD, Sydney Bell, MSW, RSW, Psychotherapist & Dana Rourke, Eating Disorder Recovery & Body Image Coach

Time: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Location: STC 0010

How do you respond when someone says something that makes you uncomfortable or feels disrespectful?. Often we are too surprised to respond at all or, in the moment, we respond ineffectively.  Having strategies at hand to respond effectively in such situations can prevent barriers from developing between coworkers and set us up well to maintain good relations in our workplaces.

Presenter: Lynn Long, Senior Education Officer, Office of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion

Time: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Location: STC 0040

This session is now FULL.

Have you ever experienced aches and pains while at work and wonder if perhaps they are from poor office ergonomics? Musculoskeletal disorders continue to be one of the leading injury types in Ontario workplaces. This program is designed to educate participants on the basic principles of good office ergonomics, providing specific instruction and illustration on how to optimize your particular set up so you can avoid being an Ontario statistic. Participants will learn what considerations an ergonomist makes when evaluating a workstation and what types of alternative equipment (including standup desks) are available, and why they might be suggested. The session goal is to provide participants with the information needed for them to make improvements in their own workstation ergonomics on their return to the office.

Presenter: Andrew Scheifele, Senior Safety Officer 

Time: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Location: STC 0050

As the population grows older, more and more people are caring for a family member or friend living with a form of dementia, and that includes employees at the University of Waterloo. There are more than 6.1 million employed Canadians, or 35 percent of our national workforce, providing care to a family member or friend.  Helping with medical appointments, meal preparation, medication management, shopping, dressing, and bathing are just some examples of caregiving. These roles continually change and can affect the health and well-being of the caregiver.

If you are caring for someone with dementia, or have a friend or co-working that is supporting someone living with dementia, this workshop is meant for you.

The objectives for this workshop are to:

• Identify personal signs of stress
• Identify and develop goals around personal coping strategies best suited for their individual circumstances
• Learn how friends, co-workers, supervisors etc. can support someone who is a caregiver
• Discover supports for caregivers inside and outside the university community

Presenter: Lisa Loiselle, former associate director of the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP), University of Waterloo

Time: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
​Location: STC 0060