University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: January 17, 2008

By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer

This week marks the start of a new focus on employee wellness at UB with the launch of several efforts by Wellness & Work/Life Balance, a new unit within University Human Resources created as part of the university’s ongoing HR Transformation initiative.

University faculty and staff now are eligible for discount gym memberships at many of the region’s most popular health and fitness centers, as well as select free trial classes at the Buffalo Athletic Club (BAC). Also kicking off this month is registration for “Move It To Lose It,” a fitness challenge for UB employees based on the NBC television show “The Biggest Loser.”

“UB’s really being a pioneer for the SUNY system in terms of being proactive about health and wellness,” says Kathie Frier, director of Wellness & Work/Life Balance. “It’s a national trend among corporations and universities, but higher education is only starting to get involved in New York State. We’re really leading the way.”

University Human Resources is not only working on internal planning and reorganization as part of the HR Transformation and UB 2020, she says, but it also is developing many new services for members of the university community. One of the most important goals of the Wellness & Work/Life Balance unit is helping faculty and staff achieve a more satisfying and productive work life by promoting health and wellness, she adds.

Jennifer Bowen, assistant vice president for human resources, notes that HR traditionally has been viewed “as more process-driven—those were the bulk of the services we were providing to campus—but we’re seeing a significant expansion of the strategic arm of HR, which includes Wellness & Work/Life Balance, Organizational Development & Training (OD&T), employee relations and a number of other areas. We’re expanding and adding the kinds of services that we think will bring value to our faculty and staff, as well as improve our work culture,” Bowen says.

Among the fitness centers offering special rates to UB employees are all area locations of the BAC, as well as Curves, Fitness 19 and the Miller Tennis Center in Williamsville, and the Lockport Athletic and Fitness Club. Also available at the BAC through Feb. 8 are complimentary classes in spinning, a high-energy form of stationary cycling, and Zumba, a cardio workout done to Latin music that incorporates easy-to-follow dance and fitness moves.

For more information on participating gyms and specific offers, visit the Human Resources Web site. Click here to register for free trial classes.

Wellness & Work/Life Balance also plans to offer to employees a 17-week, at-work Weight Watchers program at a special rate of $186. At least 20 registrants are required to run a session.

Creating a focus on wellness in the workplace takes a team effort, Bowen says, noting that Wellness & Work/Life Balance is forging partnerships both on and off campus to make the most of university and community resources. In addition to negotiating gym memberships as low as 50 percent off in some cases for members of the university community, she says the unit is working with experts from the School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP) and other UB groups to “navigate the campus wellness culture” and effectively reach out to the greatest possible number of UB faculty and staff.

“We’re not wellness providers,” Frier says, “but we’re here to bring together the people who can provide the services and bring to campus whatever services can’t be provided.”

Amy Myszka, coordinator for Wellness & Work/Life Balance, says the first major collaboration between campus experts and Wellness & Work/Life Balance will be “Move It To Lose It,” a 12-week fitness challenge that will pit two-person teams against each another in order to get fit, lose weight and win prizes. Support for the event, which will run from Feb. 8 through May 2, comes from SPHHP, which will track participants’ progress with weekly weigh-ins, and from Recreation & Intramural Services, Division of Athletics, which is offering competitors free access for three months to fitness facilities in Alumni Arena, North Campus, and in Clark Hall, South Campus. Results of each week’s weigh-in will be posted online in terms of total team pounds and percentage of weight lost, Myszka says, but individual weights will not be publicized. A body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above is required to participate and the deadline for registration is Jan. 30. For further registration information and details on measuring your BMI, click here.

Frier cited other short-term goals for Wellness & Work/Life Balance, including the creation of a “wellness work group” of qualified faculty and staff who will help guide future wellness activities on campus and the recruiting of “wellness champions”—employees who will support wellness efforts and participation at the departmental level.

Long-term goals for the unit include focusing not only on physical health, she says, but also on other aspects of wellness that will help employees find the right balance between their professional and personal lives.

“The first phase is about getting people involved and raising awareness,” adds Bowen. “The next will be to build a more robust program and services, as well as help bring about a culture change that promotes a healthy mind, body and spirit.”