Signing up for a seminar on personal finances, taking a stroll through campus at lunch with friends, shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables at a farmers’ market. All of these activities play an important role in the overall well-being of University of Michigan faculty and staff, and the effort is being recognized.
For the third consecutive year, U-M has been named one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America by Healthiest Employers LLC, an analytics firm focused on population health and corporate wellness.
U-M placed 33rd out of the top 100 U.S. healthiest employers for 2016 through an examination of six critical elements of workplace wellness: culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, annual planning, communications and marketing, programming and interventions, and reporting and analysis.
Because well-being is multifaceted and involves numerous dimensions, the university has adopted a new model to better recognize all of the areas that contribute to overall health and well-being.
The university’s model of well-being reflects eight dimensions:
• Physical
• Intellectual
• Social and community
• Environmental
• Financial
• Work and career
• Mental and emotional
• Spiritual
The model was developed in collaboration with MHealthy, Wolverine Wellness, Student Life and their advisory groups to provide a visual representation of the university’s commitment to the total well-being of faculty, staff and students, as well as identify some of the many resources available around the university to support the various elements.
“Well-being is a lifelong journey for every individual at U-M, taking different forms for different people,” says LaVaughn Palma-Davis, senior director of university health and well-being services. “That is why MHealthy and our partners across the university are so committed to providing valuable resources and supportive environments to help people, whether they’re looking to optimize their health and feel better, balance their work and personal priorities, or enhance their life satisfaction and purpose.
“We hope this new model raises people’s awareness of the opportunities available to help them achieve their goals.”
Faculty and staff can view the model and explore the resources on the MHealthy website.
A similar model, with resources tailored more toward students, can be found on the Student Life website.
david michener
The story would be stronger with a link to the study, not just the UM web sites. The web link belongs with the 2nd or 3rd paragraph. Can it yet be inserted? Will add context.
UM Employee
If we did not include the Human Resources personnel, UM would have easily taken first.
Damian Zikakis
Here is a link to the study: http://healthiest100.com/