aerial photo of the campus in the fall season

Encourage Employee Well-Being

In Action:

Determine the practices that can be adopted to increase well-being

Strengthen employee well-being through targeted campaigns and training

  • One size does not fit all; evolve offerings through appreciative inquiry
  • Consider departmental initiatives, e.g. IT's Healthy Mind Platter
  • Training and support to adapt to change and stress
  • Thrive Week initiatives
  • Crisis support
  • Manulife's "Mental Health Training"
  • Improve communication on benefits, services, and initiatives

Work with Manulife to address anonymous survey feedback from employees who have utilize short-term and long-term disability services 

Continue to develop and offer health and wellness initiatives

  • Departmental health challenges, team-based health and wellness events
  • Initiate pilots based on existing VIU demographics and benefit usage
  • Provide education on mental health literacy and well-being for employees.

Strengthen the VIU Community through the lens of the Okanagan Charter

Develop a mechanism for employees to suggest new practices, tools and training

Implement an ongoing communications strategy to promote well-being initiatives

Success Highlights

  • Focus on supporting working from home
  • Psychological first aid training (2019)
  • Trauma-informed leadership training (2022)
  • Worked with the Communications Department throughout COVID to promote wellness initiatives
  • Significant material, time and attention for wellness, comms, HR pages, PD sessions, EFAP
  • Employee aspect of Thrive Week converted to a year-round "Thrive Here" campaign

• 6 dimensions of well-being webpages

• Weekly communication in VIU Digest