How Can You Encourage Employees to Practice Wellness?
You can prompt employee well-being without crossing boundaries. Look for opportunities to practice self-care and encourage others to do so. For example, do you encourage work breaks and schedule time off? Does your staff feel comfortable going for a walk or stretching at break time? Keep in mind you don’t have to be a marathon runner. Caring for yourself and encouraging your employees to do the same speaks volumes.
Follow healthy meeting guidelines when having meetings with food. Provide a variety of healthy food and beverage options. Be mindful of food allergies and other dietary restrictions.
Support your departmental Wellness Ambassador. Don’t have one? Sign up to become a Wellness Ambassador.
Familiarize yourself with the Healthy IU programs and Work +Life resources.
Encourage employees to attend wellness programs and participate in challenges. University Human Resources encourages departments to allow employees to participate in university wellness initiatives, unless job necessity prevents an employee’s participation. Several options are available to employees and/or departments. These options include:
- Permit the employee to work a flexible work schedule
- Allow the employee to make up missed time
- Allow the employee to attend wellness initiatives during their lunch or breaks
- Allow the employee to use accrued time off (e.g. vacation or compensatory time off)
- Allow the employee to take time off without pay or benefits (ABS)
Encourage employees to request flex time as soon as possible. Healthy IU classes are published on the website at the beginning of each semester. Making the request early allows the supervisor and employee to discuss and arrange attendance options.
For job-related training, staff employees are not required to use their time-off accruals. In addition, for many university-sponsored programs/events (e.g., flu shot), employees are generally not required to use their time-off accruals.