Workplace Wellness
Total Worker Health® approaches combine protective programs like hearing protection and chemical monitoring with programs that promote the health and well-being of a workforce. Workplace wellness initiatives can take a number of forms, from activities that encourage healthy eating and physical activity to caring for employees with chronic conditions to ensuring that workers feel physically and psychologically safe at work. In this section, you'll find guides to implementing a wellness program, suggestions for addressing different aspects of wellness, and guides to help you develop a culture of care and wellness at your organization.
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Featured Resources
Working on Wellness. Want to build and sustain a wellness initiative at your organization? Check out CPH-NEW's Working on Wellness program that is designed to help employers develop and implement evidence-based worksite wellness initiatives. Employers can enroll in the program by creating a simple profile. Resources include assessments and evaluation surveys, educational materials, case studies, webinars, and an online searchable toolbox of free, publicly available resources.
Working on Wellness: Self-Directed Curriculum. Want guidance in getting started? CPH-NEW offers a self-service online curriculum designed to help employers develop and implement evidence-based worksite wellness initiatives. Courses include how to increase employee buy-in and engagement, assessment and planning, developing community partnerships, and implementing and evaluating your initiative.
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Featured Resources
The Diabetes Prevention Module from Center for Health, Work & Environment assists employers to offer the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP) to employees as a covered benefit. Resources include an employer decision map, advising on plan implementation, and a library of resources, including a risk survey, webinars, guides, and sample policies.
A Culture of Care: How to Prevent and Manage Chronic Illness in Your Workplace is a 1-hour webinar from Center for Health, Work & Environment that shares key information on chronic illnesses. By the year 2023, the top seven chronic illnesses in the US are projected to have a total impact of nearly $5 trillion in treatment costs and lost economic output. After watching this webinar, attendees will be able to define and understand how chronic illness impacts your workforce and employee medical plan, build a plan to prevent and manage chronic illness in your workplace, and support employees with chronic illnesses through evidence-based programs/resources.
Other Resources
Diabetes Prevention: Tiny Steps to Improve Health at Work is a 40-minute webinar from Center for Health, Work & Environment that discusses the state of diabetes and pre-diabetes in the workplace, mindset shifts for a healthy work space, and an introduction to the CDC National Diabetes Prevention Program in the workplace.
Managing Diabetes at Your Workplace: A Total Worker Health® Approach is a 58-minute webinar from Center for Health, Work & Environment that shares information about Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) administered by local pharmacists. DSMES is an evidence-based approach to help patients with diabetes better understand and manage their disease. This webinar discusses the effectiveness of DSMES and describes two virtual programs offered by Colorado pharmacists. At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to evaluate the value of DSMES, including how it promotes key behavioral changes to help participants gain control of their diabetes, identify how to refer working people to virtual DSMES programs and support their enrollment, and compare and contrast the effectiveness of online DSMES delivery to the more traditional in-person format.
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Featured Resources
Supporting Employees Affected by Cancer is a 1-hour self-paced course offered by the Center for Health, Work & Environment focused on how employers can support cancer survivors returning to the workplace. Topics include identifying keys to success and potential obstacles for cancer survivors, the employer perspective, key federal and state legal protections for employers and cancer survivors as well as important work-place accommodations for cancer survivors’ successful return-to-work. CHES and SHRM continuing education credits are available.
Other Resources
Well-Being and Cancer at Work (WeCanWork) is a research project at the Center for Health, Work & Environment that aims to longitudinally assess how cancer diagnosis impacts employment, financial, and well-being on employed Latino men treated in community- and academic-based oncology practice settings. Cancer survivors, like other workers who face serious, chronic illnesses and injuries, experience higher absenteeism, presenteeism, and worse well-being when their changed physical and cognitive abilities do not align with their job duties and demands during and after treatment.
Cancer Supportive Workplaces is a 59-minute webinar from the Center for Health, Work & Environment that explores how leadership and organizational culture can help support workers currently undergoing cancer treatment and cancer survivors.
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Featured Resources
Violence in Workplace is a 3-minute video from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest that offers a short description of types of violence, risk factors, and risk mitigation with programs.
De-Escalation Approaches for a More Harmonious Workplace is a 5-minute video from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest that explores de-escalation approaches that when used effectively can help an individual ease conflict and potential violence in a workplace. This is accomplished by using empathy, effective listening and avoiding conversation mistakes.
De-Escalation, Escape and Defense Techniques is a course endorsed by the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center that provides access to online training and on-site practice. Research has found that computer-based training (CBT) alone or with trained peer facilitation with home care workers can increase confidence and reduce incidents of workplace violence and harassment in a consumer-driven model of care. Home care workers reported improved confidence to prevent and respond to workplace violence and harassment and a reduction in incidents of workplace violence and harassment in both groups at 6-month follow-up. A decrease in negative health and work outcomes associated with violence and harassment were not reported in the groups. 3 types of training are available at the cost of $25 per user: De-escalation Online Training for Home Care Workers, Escape & Self-Defense Online Training, and on-site practice.
Other Resources
Violence in the HealthCare Workplace - Research and Policy Update is a 1-hour webinar from California Labor Lab and COEH. In this webinar, Dr. Robert Harrison discusses how many healthcare workers are at an increased risk for workplace violence (WPV). Updates on the scientific basis for effective interventions in healthcare workplaces and the new CalOSHA standard are also provided.
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Featured Resources
An Introduction to Emergency Preparedness is a 3-minute video from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest. Life is full of unpredictable events that can have adverse effects on the operations, infrastructure, and workers of a business. There are man-made and natural events that need to be prepared for, including earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, extreme temperatures, fires, hurricanes, and viruses.
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Featured Resources
Healthy Lifestyles & Addressing Workplace Stress is a series of workplace modules from Center for Health, Work & Environment. Topics include Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring, Tobacco Use in the Workplace, Guide to Walking Meetings, Lifestyle Ergonomics: Mobile Phone Tips, 5 Easy Ways to Add Movement to Your Day, and Family-Friendly Workplace Tips.
Family-Friendly Workplaces is a 1-hour training that is part of the Health Links™ series by Center for Health, Work & Environment. Through a collection of short videos and exercises led by industry leaders and Total Worker Health experts, learners will gain the skills and tools you need for creating a family-friendly workplace. Course registration fee is $25 for six months. SHRM continuing education credits are available. A blueprint for the course is available here.
Get Outdoors Employers Toolkit is a toolkit produced by the Center for Health, Work & Environment in partnership with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Employers can take a self-scoring survey to assess how their organization promotes the use and stewardship of the outdoors through workplace initiatives to enhance employee health and well-being. The toolkit includes a wide variety of resources for employers, including tools for health promotion, leadership, and equitable access to the outdoors.
Other Resources
A Total Worker Health® Approach to the Built Environment and Getting Outdoors at Work is a 56-minute webinar hosted by the Center for Health, Work & Environment. Join Health Links™, along with national and local experts, to learn more about creating a healthy and safe workplace indoors and out. After attending this webinar, you will be able to understand the different components of built environments and how they impact workplace health and safety, build strategies to enhance workspaces and encourage employees to get outdoors, and identify resources that can help you assess and enhance the spaces in which we live and work.
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Featured Resources
Respiratory Health - Toolbox Talks is presented by the Center for Work, Health, & Well-being. These talks are designed for a facilitator to hold a session with interested employees and includes key points, questions for discussion, and resources to share afterwards.
Tobacco Use in the Workplace - A Model Policy is a customizable workplace policy regarding tobacco use developed by the Center for Health, Work & Environment's Health Links™ series. The policy contains information on benefits of a tobacco-free workplace for both employees and employers.
Get Outdoors Employers Toolkit is a toolkit produced by the Center for Health, Work & Environment in partnership with the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Employers can take a self-scoring survey to assess how their organization promotes the use and stewardship of the outdoors through workplace initiatives to enhance employee health and well-being. The toolkit includes a wide variety of resources for employers, including tools for health promotion, leadership, and equitable access to the outdoors.
Other Resources
Respiratory Protection in the Workplace: An Overview is a 1-hour webinar from California Labor Lab and COEH. This webinar provides an overview of the components of the CalOSHA guidelines for a respiratory protection program. A variety of respirators commonly used in a workplace and their level of protection is discussed. The process of medical clearance and fit testing are addressed, and potential difficulties and solutions reviewed. A brief discussion of general public health concerns for respiratory protection is also included.
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Featured Resources
Developing a Healthier Workforce is a 5-minute video from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest. In this video, nutrition experts and employers discuss good food choices and programs, policies, and practices to promote healthy eating among employees.
Eating Healthy on the Job is a free 40-minute online course from the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health designed provide workers strategies for healthy eating. Topics include the importance of eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated, how to eat healthy on a budget, and how to protect from foodborne diseases. Designed for workers in the construction industry.
Eating Disorders in the Workplace is a collection of resources from the Health Links™ series at the Center for Health, Work & Environment. Resources include the spectrum of eating behavior, warning signs of eating disorders, and materials to help the workforce with eating disorders.
Reading Food Labels is a Toolbox Talk from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest designed to offer employees a primer on understanding nutrition labels as a precursor to healthier food choices. The Talk includes a practice activity with food labels from convenience store items.
Other Resources
Building a Healthy Food Culture in the Workplace is a 1-hour webinar from the Center for Health, Work & Environment. In this webinar, Matt Jackson of the Tri-County Public Health Department shares tools and tips for creating healthy food and beverage policies. Katie O'Connor, health promotion programs manager at Children's Hospital Colorado, also shares advice about what it takes to implement these policies throughout an entire organization.
The Silent Epidemic of Eating Disorders in the Workplace is a 1-hour webinar from Center for Health, Work & Environment. In this webinar, Center for Health, Work & Environment's Amanda Kujawa shares her personal story of being diagnosed, treated for, and in recovery from an eating disorder and the role the workplace has served on that journey. She is joined by Sabrina Scanga, program director at The Eating Disorder Foundation, to present the skills and tools employers need to create a culture that supports employees who may be struggling with food, exercise, and body image.
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Featured Resources
Remote Work: What Should You Know? is a 5-minute video from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest exploring how in recent years remote work has seen an increased interest from both employers and employees. It's not just that people are interested in remote work, but in many industries and organizations the workplace is shifting to home and that presents a new set of challenges for employers.
Remote Work Ergonomic Toolkit from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest offers tips on working at home and at-home ergonomics. Includes videos, an ergonomic equipment list, and postural exercises to prevent injury.
The Remote Workplace Safety Checklist from the Center for Health, Work & Environment helps teams assess workspace risks and implement proper safety measures outside the office.
Other Resources
Managing Remote Workers Part I and Managing Remote Workers Part II are 58-minute webinars from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest addressing health and safety concerns with managing employees remotely. Managers at all levels may find this information particularly useful for those supervising remote workers for the first time.
Hybrid work is not just about geography - It is an organizational change is a 50-minute webinar hosted by CPH-NEW and featuring Dr. Christine Ipsen, an associate professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Her expertise includes interventions in knowledge work to ensure productivity and well-being in tandem. She has written extensively about participatory interventions in knowledge work and the impact of working from home on the workplace and workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.
Rethinking Well-being in the Evolving Workplace: A Holistic Approach Involving Technology, Ergonomics, and Work is a 1-hour webinar from CPH-NEW. In this webinar, researcher and office systems expert Michelle Robertson reviews how the new hybrid work system has impacted individuals and organizations focusing on strategies that use a work-systems perspective to promote worker well-being and performance.
Home Office Ergonomics Post COVID-19: Carpe Diem is a 1-hour webinar from California Labor Lab and COEH discussing how as more people work from home than ever before, and as the demand for remote work increases, workplaces continue to find optimal balance for collaborating with colleagues onsite. This presentation discusses how the pandemic changed how we work and how the home-office work balance will continue to evolve, as well as common ergonomic challenges and strategies for workplaces to find optimal balance for remote and synchronous collaboration.
The Home as a Workplace is a 1-hour webinar from California Labor Lab and COEH that explores the home as a workplace in two interlocked ways: first, the outsourcing of income generating work to personal homes, and second, domestic and household workers who earn income by going into other people’s homes. This webinar explores home workplaces in the context of the gig economy, and as the organization of conventional labor unravels.
Exploring Ethics & Intentional Hybrid Work is a 1-hour webinar from Center for Health, Work & Environment that explores the intersection of ethics and the future of work. The panel of experts discuss the effectiveness of the remote environment, the advantages, disadvantages and inequities that exist as workers manage the world of hybrid work.
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Featured Resources
How Sleep, Fatigue and Shift Work Affects Workplace Safety and Health is a 6-minute podcast from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest that looks at how fatigue affects workplace safety and health. Sleep is a necessary part of safety in the workplace and can be affected by many factors including workplace policies like shift work. Dr. Amany Farag discusses how fatigue and shift work affects nurses and the importance of emphasizing that all employees get their recommended amount of sleep each week as well as the cost employers face when their workforce is fatigued.
Managing Shift Work is a Toolbox Talk from the Center for Work, Health, & Well-being intended to help a foreman or safety manager lead a discussion regarding how to sleep and eat around irregular shifts.
Other Resources
Sleepy Workers: Understanding Causes, Consequences, and How to Prevent Fatigue is a 56-minute webinar from Center for Health, Work & Environment. In this webinar, Dr. Tori Crain, professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Colorado State University, discusses why organizations should care about sleepy workers and how fatigue plays a role in employee performance, safety, and health. She also provides recommendations for preventing and addressing fatigue in your workplace.
Working Tired: The Impact of Fatigue at Your Workplace is a 56-minute webinar from Center for Health, Work & Environment. Nearly all American workers report being fatigued, and almost half admit to being sleep-deprived. One meta-analysis found that 13% of workplace injuries could be attributed to employees with sleep problems. Fatigue decreases workplace productivity and increases the risk of incidents and injuries. Employers can reduce risk and decrease financial burden by identifying the causes of fatigue and implementing best practices to manage fatigue in the workplace.
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Featured Resources
How Sleep, Fatigue and Shift Work Affects Workplace Safety and Health is a 6-minute podcast from the Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest that looks at how fatigue affects workplace safety and health. Sleep is a necessary part of safety in the workplace and can be affected by many factors including workplace policies like shift work. Dr. Amany Farag discusses how fatigue and shift work affects nurses and the importance of emphasizing that all employees get their recommended amount of sleep each week as well as the cost employers face when their workforce is fatigued.
Firefighter Shift Schedules is a 30-minute podcast from the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center that discusses the research collaboration that looked at sleep and shift schedules within Portland firefighters to improve safety, health, and well-being for their workforce.
Other Resources
Work’s Shifting Landscape: How Irregular Schedules Impact Health is a 55-minute webinar from California Labor Lab and COEH discussing shift work and worker health. In this webinar, Jacqueline Ferguson, a PhD candidate in Environmental Health Sciences at UC Berkeley, provides an overview of her research on how an increase in irregular work schedules is impacting worker health. This presentation included methods used to define and measure shift work, examples from her research examining recent night and rotational work exposure, and the risk of incident hypertension in aluminum manufacturing workers.
