It’s a tie!
Presented with compelling applications from two of the university’s larger departments, Dal’s Healthy Workplace Collaborative determined there would be two recipients of the Healthy Workplace Award this year: Dalhousie Libraries and Facilities Management.
The award celebrates Dalhousie-based work groups or programs that demonstrate pilipiliÂţ» in supporting the six dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, interpersonal/social, spiritual and environmental. The Healthy Workplace Collaborative, with representatives from across the university, selects the winners.
Previous winners include Management Career Services (2011) and Information Technology Services (2012).
President Richard Florizone, presenting the award last Thursday in the Student Union Building, said the award represents a broader trend in how society understands and appreciates what he called “The good life.”
“It involves a number of things, with health and wellness absolutely at the centre,” said Dr. Florizone. “There are so many great initiatives going on across campus in these areas, and I hope we can continue to build on them in the future.”
Spanning the dimensions of health
The Dal Libraries have a Healthy Workplace Committee, which brings together representatives from all five libraries to develop programming and initiatives related to workplace and employee health.
“As a committee, we’ve tried to always ensure we’re focused on various aspects of health, not just one or two,” says Sandra Dwyer, the committee’s chair. “It’s all important to help people become happy and healthy in their jobs and in their lives.”
Dal Libraries representatives (L to R): Carolene Robertson (Sexton), Carol Richardson (Killam), Angela Hersey (Kellogg), Sandra Dwyer (Dal Libraries), President Florizone, Alice Stover (Killam), Kellie Hawley (Killam), Anne-Marie White (Dunn).
When asked about specific accomplishments, Dwyer says the committee is quite proud of its monthly newsletter, “Be Well,” which has received great feedback from staff. She also cites Libraries’ participation in various events, from Pink Day and the Halifax Pride Parade to internal celebrations of accomplishments and milestones. The Libraries also organized a food drive for Feed Nova Scotia this past year and developed a specialized employee exercise program for staff, with a 10-week yoga/body trim exercise program held in the Studley Gym.
“It’s a very enthusiastic group, and we’re just happy to work together and try and make the Libraries a fun, supportive place to work,” says Dwyer.
Bringing teams together
Facilities Management encompasses approximately 525 employees working as part of several different teams. For Christine Matheson, associate director of Facilities Management, healthy workplace initiatives represent opportunities to bring the sizeable department closer together.
“We have so many teams within Facilities, and we really want to build that team spirit,” she explains. “So rather than trying to bring that huge team together, we work to implement a number of smaller initiatives that encourage a healthy workplace.”
Facilities Management representatives (L to R): Christine Matheson, Jeff Lamb, Melissa Young, Mckenzie Toyne, President Florizone.
Facilities staff are big proponents of “Movember,” and organize softball showdowns and yoga classes. The department purchased three bicycles and made them available to staff who need to travel quickly across or between campuses. (It also hosted a safety course for employees who use the bikes.) Then there’s the Facilities Management scholarship: a fundraising initiative to develop a Dal scholarship for a deserving, in-need child of a Facilities Management staff member.
Matheson, like Dwyer, says that there’s still a lot of work to do in the department, but feels grateful that their efforts to-date have been recognized.
“We want people to feel comfortable and happy at work, and it’s really rewarding to see, as a Facilities team, the difference we can all make.”