Showcase

Our goal was to increase our employees’ knowledge of mental and physical health through a month-long Healthy Workplace Campaign. Through our Health Passport and verbal feedback we evaluated how successful we were in increasing our employees’ awareness. Through using the Health Passport, we held various events aimed at educating and including all staff with the goal to increase employees’ awareness and interest in their mental and physical health. In addition to the Health Passport we gave out care bags and weekly healthy recipes that promoted self care and eating right. Finally, by spacing out our events throughout the month, we were able to ensure that all staff were able to participate.

Our Healthy Workplace Month helped to increase our staff’s awareness of mental health, self-care, healthy eating practices, and exercise, while providing fun at work.

We created a Health Passport in the form of a pamphlet. Inside listed all of the dates of the events, a place for stamps, and information about the event. Reminders were booked into employee’s calendars and placed on the office portal. Items needed for the events were written down and organized by our Health and Safety committee before the events took place.

In Our Health Passport:

Green the Office: Everyone needs some green – no we don’t mean money – we mean plants! If you’re able bring in a healthy plant either for your desk or to share with the office. You are responsible for the care of your desk plant. Stamps: 1/plant.

Your Choice – Physical and Emotional Health 
Activity: What other things can you do to improve your physical and emotional well-being. Some ideas can include a blood donation, getting the flu shot, attending a fitness class, visiting the elderly! Get out there and have fun! You’re only limited by your imagination.
Stamp: 1/activity

Salad Bar Munch and Mingle: Join us for a salad potluck lunch. Munch and mingle and maybe even learn a new recipe or two. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the kitchenette every week. 
Stamps: 1/participant.

Workout in the Work Place: Come and learn some handy workouts that you can do at your desk, in the Board Room. These workouts will help relieve stress and make your day more active, making you feel better. 
Stamp: 1/activity

Stair Masters: Use the stairs as often as you can. 8
flights isn’t that hard right? Stamps: 1/ 8 flights up and
1/ 8 flights down.

You’re Sweet Enough: You’re sweet enough as it is, so skip the sugar entirely and snack on natural sugars or use them as a replacement in your beverages (Stevia, honey, agave, fruit, etc). 
Stamps: 1/day without sugar!

Drink Up: We don’t want you to become a fish, but drinking at least 32oz of water a day is important.
Stamps: 1/ 32oz of water consumed in a day.

Sweet Dreams: Everyone could use more sleep, so try to get in 7-8 hours each night. We can’t promise you still won’t need that coffee but we think you’re still sweet enough. 
Stamps: 1/night of 7-8 hours of sleep.

‘Can’ We Build It: Bring in a $ contribution to help us build a “can-struction” with the purchased cans going to Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Please bring your contribution to Rachel by the 16th at 11:00. Be prepared for a Tweet moment! 
Stamps: 1/contribution made

From Head to Heart: Wear your favourite funky hat or fascinator and use it to strike up a conversation with a co-worker about a memory from when you wore that lovely head adornment. Be prepared for a Tweet moment! 
Stamps: 1/participant.

The Wellness Games: Come out to the Meeting Room and Board Room for various fun and interactive games! Prizes to be won!

Sneak It in Week: Let’s get moving with ‘Sneak It in Week’. Wear your running shoes to work and sneak in some activity during the day. (Go for a walk during lunch or breaks, use the stairs, take stretching breaks, etc). 
Stamps: 1/day of action

Extras:
Care Bags: These bags include a journal for self-care, hand cream, Kleenex, and sanitizer for the upcoming winter and flu season. Along with a stress ball and encouraging quote for employees to keep at their desks. Our care bags where combined with a table of goodies located in our employee kitchen which contained healthy wraps, chocolate, vitamin water crystals, and relaxing teas.

Weekly Healthy Recipes: We encouraged staff to post weekly healthy recipes that were tried and approved by staff themselves. Resulting in a weekly recipe swap. Our goal was to encourage and inspire staff to try new healthy foods.

We evaluated our initiative based on two forms of feedback. The first form was compiling employees Health Passports and seeing how many had participated in the various events. The second method was through verbal feedback. Based on the feed back we received, our Health Passport was a success.

We found that our Health Passport was very successful in encouraging our employees to participate, not only in our workplace community, but in trying new healthy recipes at home and having a greater understanding of how to maintain a healthy body, physically and mentally. Staff members were able to earn a stamp every time they participated in an activity. The person who gained the most stamps at the end of the month won the grand prize of a Fit Bit Zip.

$10.00