Taking vacation time is important for our health. However, the time before and after a vacation can be stressful. Often, there are deadlines to meet before taking time off from work and prioritizing in a time crunch can be a challenge. Returning from time off can also be stressful if work has piled up.
Looking for some strategies to help prevent or reduce the stress associated with vacation time?
During Nutrition Month, we asked employees to submit their favourite healthy recipe for a chance to win a prize. View the top 3 recipes our panel selected, as well as all of the yummy recipes we received for the contest in the attached recipe booklet.
Try out a new breakfast, entree or dessert recipe and let us know what you think! Use the hashtag #WellnessatUofG.
Happy tasting!
Throughout the month of June, Wellness@Work encouraged employees to snap a photo of a beautiful flower, garden or a unique tree at U of G and enter their photo for a chance to win a prize. Thank you to everyone who submitted their beautiful Spring photos for the Spring Snaps photo challenge.
45 photos were submitted and reviewed by the Grounds team in Physical Resources to determine the top 3 photos.
The prize winners were each awarded a beautiful flower pot arrangement provided by the Department of Plant Agriculture (see the above photo).
A Retreat Day was held for Peer Helper Supervisors in 2018 as part of a Wellness@Work grant received. The retreat day was held at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph, which is an inspiring and tranquil setting for a day of learning and building community among the 30+ Peer Helper Supervisors across campus.
The Department of Population Medicine in OVC received a Wellness@Work grant in 2018 to provide a space with activities that encourage Population Medicine team members to see the department holistically. The program included a variety of activities to support physical, mental and social health and wellbeing.
Goals of this Wellness@Work grant program were to:
The teachers at the Child Care Learning Centre (CCLC) work very hard to care for children all day long. The Parent Advisory Council wanted to show them some appreciation by improving their health and wellness at work. Through the grant program they received, opportunities were created for teachers to find calm, re-energize and reflect in the middle of their high-energy, demanding days.
Human Health and Nutritional Sciences (HHNS) has nearly 50 staff and faculty employees, across 4 buildings on the University of Guelph main campus. The Wellness@Work grant they received in 2018 helped to further their existing workplace culture and provided the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships outside of work. The specific goals of the initiative were to:
In 2018, the Office of Research launched a new Volunteer Connection program for their department, with support from a Wellness@Work Grant.
In 2018, Research Financial Services received a Wellness@Work grant for their RFS Reaching for Success in Wellness application.
They held an 8-week health (steps) challenge within their department, focusing on physical activity and hosted three group walking tours to motivate each other. Through the steps challenge, 7 of them collectively walked over 4 million steps in 8 weeks.
They held two lunch and learn sessions, which provided helpful coping skills and tips for dealing with stress that can be part of their work.