Community Health and Well-being

Submit your thoughts and ideas for new activities, workshops, seminars and resources that the Faculty of Mathematics can offer to the members of our community or provide us with your feedback to improve the Faculty of Mathematics health, well-being or sustainability.

The Faculty of Mathematics has two committees focused on health and well-being - one for students and one for employees (e.g., Postdoctoral fellows, staff, and faculty members). These committees are ad hoc and report on an annual basis to the Dean of Mathematics.

These two committees have been established to identify current health and well-being related issues, assisting with the development and implementation of initiatives and programming that promote self-care and positive health behaviours, and building an environment and culture that support the personal, academic, or professional ambitions of our staff and faculty members.

The Faculty of Mathematics is committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our students, staff, and faculty. The 2022-27 Health and Well-being Strategy was developed in consultation with the Student Health and Well-being Committee, Employee Health and Well-being Committee, and various campus stakeholders. Within the strategy you will find information on our approach to addressing the health and well-being needs of our community, including our guiding principles, commitments, evaluation plan, and community benefits.

The success of our health and well-being strategy will be determined by the path that we build, together. Every one of us shares in the responsibility of supporting the collective health and well-being of our community. Learn more about the 2022-27 Health and Well-being Strategy, here.

The Faculty of Mathematics is once again offering its students, staff, postdoctoral fellows, instructors, and researchers the opportunity to participate in different activities, workshops, and events related to the nine-dimensions of wellness through its second annual Living Wellness Campaign.

In collaboration with our Math Wellness partners and community stakeholders we will be offering online and in-person programming for the Fall 2022 term. Check out the link provided below to see what wellness programming we will be offering over the upcoming months!

Registration is required for all Living Wellness programming.

The 2022-23 Living Wellness Campaign is now complete. The 2023-24 Living Wellness Campaign will begin in September 2023 with all new activities, events, and programming. Be on the lookout for an email in August, which will provide details and registration information.

It is important for each of us to recognize that the nature of the work we do in the Faculty of Mathematics and our daily work habits and routines can have a significant impact on our work-life balance.

Consider for a moment how your workload is distributed throughout the year, or even within an academic term or work week. Is it distributed equally across each day, or are there naturally occurring periods of time where it increases and decreases according to the academic calendar?

Like many of your colleagues, it is probably true that your workload fluctuates between highs and lows from week to week and month to month. This may leave you feeling as though you are unable to disconnect from work during the periods of time when your workload has increased.

Being able to achieve a healthy and sustainable work-life balance, where you can disconnect completely from your work each day, is essential to supporting your overall health and well-being. The new Disconnecting from Work Guideline provides additional information on the obligations of the University and the employee, and how to report any concerns that you may have about your ability to disconnect from work.

You can support your work-life balance by ensuring that you are taking time for lunch and rest breaks, using your vacation and leave entitlements, and not engaging in work-related communications outside of working hours (unless you really need to). Adopting positive disconnecting behaviours is essential to achieving a healthy and sustainable work-life balance and living a wellness-focused lifestyle.

Here are a few other things to consider about your work-life balance and disconnecting from work:

• Minimizing your screen time outside of work to less than 2 hours
• Managing your workload around planned vacation and holidays
• Taking your lunch and rest breaks
• Being physically active and taking part in activities that involve socializing
• Maintaining a nutritious and balanced diet
• Getting sufficient and consistent sleep (7-8 hours per day)

Check out some of the resources from the Faculty of Mathematics that can support you in your wellness journey:

• Living Wellness Campaign
• Nine Dimensions of Wellness
• Health and Well-being Strategy
• Have your Say
• Employee Health and Well-being Committee

The Employee Health and Well-being Committee has developed the Staff Professional Development Program which provides staff members in the Faculty of Mathematics with the opportunity to receive financial support to participate in professional development activities that will contribute to their skill development, personal growth, or career advancement.