UMBC Wellness in the Workplace

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UMBC’s Valentine to faculty and staff is a new website focused on wellness in the workplace.

For the past 9 months, 12 people from 9 different departments have been working on the UMBC ‘Wellness in the Workplace’ Initiative, providing our community with useful and relevant wellness information and learning opportunities, connecting us to resources and support, and identifying various ways to integrate wellness practices into the work day.

President Freeman Hrabowski comments, “It’s important to see the connection between our own health and the health of the campus community.  The ‘Wellness in the Workplace’ Initiative is a great way to provide information, resources, and support for personal health as well as healthy relationships in our work environment.  We are committed to supporting health and wellness activities on campus, and we believe that participating in such activities will help each of us to be even more resilient during these challenging times.”

When asked about the wellness initiative, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Elliot Hirshman said, "This innovative approach reflects our understanding of the critical role that our mental and physical health plays in our work and personal lives. By enhancing our efforts to help members of our community achieve wellness and balance in their lives, we also hope to enhance the open communication, collaboration, and partnerships that are essential components of a successful, dynamic organization. I hope that members of our community will find the website resources to be especially helpful as we work together to achieve our collective professional goals in the coming year.”

Lynne Schaefer, Vice President, Administration and Finance adds, “One of our most important values as a University is to support people who make up this special community.  Encouraging the personal well-being of each member of the community is a great reflection of that value.”

The Collaboration Team is very excited about the launch of the new 'Wellness in the Workplace' website.  There are so many wellness-related things happening on campus, and for the first time our community will be able to go to one place that pulls it all together, then quickly links you to information in a multitude of other websites both on-campus and off.  We will also have a place for 'Wellness News' - brief announcements about campus-wide wellness issues, wellness tips and information, and motivational 'Success Stories' shared by our colleagues.  Our 'Take a Break!' section offers various ways to take a quick break and recharge right at your desk; such as guided meditations, stretches and exercises, and deep breathing.

Valerie Thomas, Associate Vice President of Human Resources says, “Our hope is that this website will serve as a valuable resource and that it continues to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy approach to living for the collective health of our community.”

Terri Werner, Director of Training and Organization Development shares, “Working with the ‘Wellness in the Workplace’ Collaboration Team has been such a wonderful experience.  We are looking forward to the website being a way to expand this conversation and to spark ideas about how everyone can contribute and make a difference.”

Posted on February 6, 2009 5:04 PM