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Helping to maintain and improve health for UCalgary employees is a complex pursuit. Success relies on strategies and actions to address many diverse needs that span the health and wellness continuum — from promoting safe and healthy behaviours and habits, to providing consistent support for injured or ill employees.

Historically, Staff Wellness under Risk, and WellBeing and WorkLife under Human Resources have effectively collaborated across portfolios to offer exceptional care, assistance and resources to all UCalgary employees. Recently, the two departments unified under the Risk portfolio with an aim to continue and improve important contributions to the overall health and wellness of the campus community. 

“By consolidating our efforts to align with the health and wellness continuum and meet occupational health and safety requirements, we’ll be positioned to be more strategic as we approach and respond to employee health and wellness,” says Rae Ann Aldridge, associate vice-president of the Risk portfolio. 

Better together

This consolidation of health resources for employees won’t slow down initiatives already underway. Registration is still open for workshops about resilience and The Working Mind. Mental health consultant Amanda Habiak still offers confidential consultations linking employees to on- and off-campus mental health supports. And employees will still have access to a host of resources including guidance for Assisting a Colleague in Distress.����

In her move from Human Resources to Risk, Michele Moon, mental health specialist, brings with her the goal to achieve .

“In her time with Human Resources, Michele brought us closer than ever to gold-level certification,” says Marcia Buchholz, associate vice-president of Human Resources. “Close collaboration within Staff Wellness will help form an even clearer path to the university becoming a role model as a psychologically healthy and safe workplace.”

But while it’s business as usual in many respects, Aldridge says the joining of Staff Wellness and WellBeing and WorkLife will mean many new opportunities.

“We’re looking forward to uncovering new potential for employee health initiatives,” says Aldridge. “Bringing together proactive and reactive programs and initiatives will help us understand the larger picture and leverage data in new and valuable ways.”

The change was effective July 15. Contact staffwellness@ucalgary.ca with any questions.����