b'EMPLOYEE WELLNESSPRIORITIZING EMPLOYEE WELLNESSTips to help shape an effective employee wellness programIn a 2021 Statistics Canada survey of 18,000 health care workers, a full seven in 10 reported worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thats a pretty urgent call to action for any health care organization to prioritize employee wellness.Some tips to consider:Doing something is better than doing nothing.programs. There can be a disconnect between what Working towards better employee wellness doesntan organization wants to do and what the employees have to be overwhelming. The key is to just getwant for themselves, says Johnston. What looks started. When you try something new, you learn,good in theory has to translate to something practical and youll notice by participation and engagementand worthwhile of the employees time.what worked, what didnt and when its time to do something different, says workplace wellness Balance learning and fun. A lot of activities miss the expert Michelle Johnston. opportunity to incorporate positive habit formation. Align with your values. The foundations ofHave the barbecues, have the socials, and also look peopleCares Recovering Strong wellness strategyfor ways to build in sustainable learnings that will make are built around our value of People. Establishinga difference over the long haul.a wellness program around existing values, or even articulating new values around wellness, will helpModel it. We all have a role to play in creating an organizations layer a wellness focus onto everythingenvironment that supports well-being. As important as they do and knit wellness into the fabric of engaging the frontline, Johnston says organizations their culture. also need buy-in and participation from leadership: Employees look to see if their managers are fully on Check in. Everyones experience and needs areboard, kind of like a silent permission slip that tells different. Gathering information directly fromthem it really is OK to join in.employees is an important first step in developing a wellness strategy that can effectively support them.Set aside space for wellness. Having a strong peopleCares Employee Wellness Survey gave our teams the chance to tell us how they were feeling, askcommunication framework, a regular time and for what they need, and share their wellness priorities.method for wellness to get communicatedfor instance at weekly wellness huddlesis key. If an Make it meaningful. Leadership and employeesemphasis on wellness is not regularly in front of need to work together to shape meaningful wellnesspeople, they will forget about it until the next event. Johnston is the founder of WorkingWell, an organizationprograms to stave off this heightened sense of burnout, dedicated to creating leading practice employee wellnessbuild the interaction and fun back in, and enhance the programs, working with employers such as the College ofemployee experience. Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and Trent University.Schmolling agrees. She believes supporting the frontline as Johnston explains that in the last decade or so wellnesswe move into whatever comes next will be critical, which has grown into a critical business function because it helpsis a key reason she volunteered as one of peopleCares all types of organizations better serve their customers.Recovering Strong Champions. The pandemic made people While often seen as a nice-to-have, Johnston says wellnessrethink their priorities and realize whats truly important, says is actually a must-have. Making room for wellness is goingSchmolling. Staff want to be heard and supported, to know to add to your organizations productivity and successthey matter and to feel what theyve done is valued and in the long run, says Johnston. Time and again we seerecognized. Im thrilled thats what peopleCare is doing and that by pausing to take care of ourselves, we feel better,Im super excited to be part of it. LTCTperform better, and interact with others in a better way.During the pandemic, few people had access to all ofSheena Campbell is Vice President, their normal coping mechanisms. Those working in healthCommunications and Engagement at peopleCare care keenly felt this loss, coupled with added pressuresCommunities. For more information, including and having less time to recharge. The result is employeesEmployee Wellness Survey results, visitwho continue to give their all, despite their tanks runningwww.peopleCare.ca. on empty. Johnston says employers can use wellness 22 LONG TERM CARE TODAY Spring/Summer 2022'