Working towards wellbeing : UBC staff
department or school: Medicine, Faculty of
department or school: Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of
data provider: DSpace
contributor: University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning
creator: Kramer, Marabeth
creator: Adhikari, Binay
creator: Turnbull, Elliot
creator: Wong, Bryan
issued: 2016-02-15T20:50:55Z
issued: 2014-12-31
description: It is now being recognized that the built environment can play a determining role in a population's lifestyle. Nowhere is this more important than the environment where people spend the majority of their lives: the work place. Over the past few decades, employers have been recognizing the importance of health and wellness for their employees. Benefits and programs have been enacted to ensure that employees are able to maintain healthy lifestyles in the physical, psychological, social and organizational realms. This report focuses on UBC's staff and synthesizes several key physical and programmatic recommendations focused on the workplace, the public realm (campus) and the surrounding community (Metro Vancouver and beyond). In the workplace, several strategies to boost employee wellness were explored, based on relevant academic research. The necessity of open-plan office layouts has opened a dialogue on their advantages and pitfalls. When done correctly, an open office concept can provide many benefits. Here, a "palette of space" is recommended in order to accommodate various needs: private areas, project spaces, and collaboration zones. Glass portioning, personal control over the environment, and noise mitigation strategies can all improve group cohesiveness and work satisfaction. In terms of psychosocial workplace health, a programmatic approach which allows for work time flexibility is encouraged. For example, flex-time, compressed work weeks and telecommuting all increase staff retention and attraction and allow for more family time for employees. Workplace gardening is a creative opportunity to boost both the physical and mental health of employees. Currently UBC has no staff gardens and this would be an easy area for improvement. A programmatic approach to community engagement is another opportunity to boost mental health. For example, employer-sponsored volunteerism provides many benefits to employees who participate. Another important piece in the workplace i…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/57008
note: UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student ReportBinay Adhikari, Bryan Wong, Elliot Turnbull, Marabeth KramerWorking Towards Wellbeing UBC STAFFPLAN 579December 31, 201412321734University of British Columbia Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report”. Working Towards Wellbeing UBC STAFF UBC SCARP Winter 2014 Marabeth Kramer Binay Adhikari Elliot Turnbull Bryan Wong PLAN 579/SPPH 571 Working Towards Wellbeing of UBC Staff 1 Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... 2 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4 A Healthy Workplace ......................................................................................................................4 Why is this Important? ...................................................................................................................5 UBC Staff Demographics ........................................................................................................ 6 Workplaces and Worksites .................................................................................................... 7 Impact on Health: Literature Review ...............................................................................................8 Physical Health and Safety .....................................…
has type: Report
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0224427
language: eng
peer review status: Unreviewed
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/
scholar level: Graduate
is part of: University of British Columbia. SPPH 571
is part of: UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/57008