Wellness in the Workplace: Wellness Ambassadors Lead the Way
Wellness Ambassadors are making a difference. Wellness Ambassadors are employee volunteers committed to enhancing workplace wellness and creating a culture of well-being at the University of Arizona. They guide and connect their colleagues to important health and well-being resources and energize wellness initiatives on the local level. Their efforts are not going unnoticed.
“It is a great opportunity for an employee with a passion for health (physical, mental, and emotional) to learn and communicate resources to their co-workers,” says Karen Kenagy, Program Manager, Steward Observatory Mirror Lab.
”The Wellness Ambassador program demonstrates that we care about our employees, and we support them in being happy and healthy in the workplace and their personal lives,” said Joanne Canalli, Director of RII Employee Services.
The Wellness Ambassadors receive dedicated assistance from the Life & Work Connections staff. This includes marketing and communications materials, a bank of wellness ideas and activities, and opportunities to collaborate with Life & Work Connections experts. These wellness activities can take many forms depending on the department, such as CPR classes, a jump rope clinic, hikes and walks, QPR, and monthly challenges such as Stand on the Hour.
Norma Ortega, Director/ Housing Human Resources for Housing and Residential Life, says, “We like the live workshops. When Lourdes Rodriguez and Eileen Lawless from Life & Work Connections presented, they were very well received.”
Melissa Stewart, Administrative Associate, Business & Finance, College of Social & Behavioral Science, said, “Wellness Ambassador Arlette Cordery has provided SBS staff with numerous opportunities to participate in Life & Work Connections events. She has facilitated many workshops featuring the various resources available, and I have seen how this has fostered a better community within our college.
"Getting together to participate in activities like Move Arizona and the Paws & Pet-A-Pup event provided time for colleagues to build connections outside the normal day-to-day work routines and serve as unofficial team-building events, which also benefits the individual. Building connections has led to better teamwork and a greater willingness to find solutions and think outside the box.”
Sarah Shreeves, Vice Dean of the University of Arizona Libraries, said, “From a supervisor’s perspective, I think that having a Wellness Ambassador has helped with raising awareness of the many programs offered by Life and Work Connections that help our employees with issues they may be struggling with. For example, having someone you know whom you can ask about the mental health services available is so useful – it can be challenging to reach out to a stranger. For Wellness Ambassador Robyn Huff-Eibl and Dru Smith, it’s a way for them both to demonstrate their care for our employees and the libraries.”
For supervisors that don’t have a Wellness Ambassador, Krystal Swindlehurst, Assistant Vice President / Chief of Staff, Athletics, said this, “Take the time to [recruit] one! You will get out of it what you put in and then some! It is well worth the “investment” in your department’s culture to ensure that your employees are happy, connected and well.”
To learn more or apply for the Wellness Ambassador Program, visit the Wellness at Work webpage.