Department Wellness Advocate Program

The Value of a Department Wellness Advocate

Ensuring employee wellness is crucial for both individual and organizational success. Employees who prioritize wellness are happier, healthier, and more productive. Wellness is the foundation of an engaging workplace culture and a meaningful employee experience.

Benefits of Wellness:

1. Improved Health and Productivity:

   • Employees who focus on their wellness bring their best selves to work. They are more energetic, focused, and productive.
   • Wellness activities can prevent many health issues. For example, the "Exercise is Medicine" program, supported by BYU professors, emphasizes how regular exercise can prevent conditions like inflammation and cancer.

2. Enhanced Employee Engagement:

   • A culture of wellness fosters a positive work environment. Employees feel valued and supported, leading to higher morale and job satisfaction.
   • Wellness programs encourage team bonding and camaraderie, which can improve collaboration and teamwork.

3. Reduced Medical Costs:

   • Healthier employees mean fewer medical claims, which can lower DMBA's insurance premiums. Gallup reports that 75% of medical costs are due to preventable conditions.
   • Simple changes, such as intermittent breaks to interrupt sedentary behavior, can significantly improve health outcomes.

Mitigating the Risks of Poor Wellbeing:

1. Reduced Turnover:

   • High employee turnover is costly. It involves hiring, training, and onboarding new employees, which can be resource-intensive.
   • Employees who feel well and supported are less likely to burn out and leave. Allowing daily wellness activities can prevent turnover, saving time and resources.

2. Decreased Sick Days:

   • Poor wellbeing leads to increased sick days, affecting overall productivity. Employees who are well take fewer sick days and are more consistent in their performance.
   • Encouraging wellness activities can help reduce absenteeism and ensure employees are healthier and more present.

3. Lower Medical Costs:

   • By focusing on wellness, we can prevent many health issues that lead to high medical costs. Reducing preventable conditions benefits everyone by lowering insurance premiums.
   • Promoting physical activity and healthy habits can reduce the likelihood of chronic diseases, further decreasing medical expenses.

The Role of a Department Wellness Advocate:

The Department Wellness Advocate Program is designed to promote holistic wellness within each department. Wellness Advocates are trained to:

• Encourage employees to take breaks and engage in wellness activities.
• Foster connections among colleagues.
• Address specific wellness needs within their department.

Additional Benefits:

• Positive Work Environment: Wellness programs create a supportive and positive workplace culture, which benefits everyone.
• Personal Enjoyment: Participating in wellness activities is not only beneficial but also enjoyable. Wellness Advocates find the role rewarding and fun.
• Mission Alignment: At BYU, where we work toward a meaningful mission, supporting wellness helps employees balance work and family demands.

By becoming a Wellness Advocate, you can significantly enhance your department’s work environment and contribute to the well-being of your colleagues.

Wellness Advocates are BYU employees who work hand-in-hand with their supervisor and the BYU Employee Wellness team to cultivate a work culture that enables the learning and application of wellness principles for the employees in their workplace. It is up to the Wellness Advocate and their supervisor the amount of time dedicated to these purposes in the department. For many advocates, this means they have a little bit of time each month or semester to plan some department wellness activities.

Successful advocates have a good rapport with their supervisor and colleagues and use that rapport to create the conditions to that will bring about increased productivity and job satisfaction as well as greater employee well-being, which are the natural results of improved wellness of each individual employee. A passion for wellness and understand its importance in human lives is very beneficial as well.

Here are a few other expectations for Wellness Advocates:

• Attend at least three of the six total one-hour collaboration meetings each year. These meetings occur on the 2nd Friday of odd-numbered months at 11:00 am.
• Take the departmental wellness assessment each year.
• Attend a goal-setting meeting and a follow-up meeting each year.
• Attend at least one Employee Wellness event or utilize at least one on-campus wellness resource per year.

To learn more about becoming a Wellness Advocate for your department, click here. Contact us at wellness@byu.edu if you have additional questions.

If you are interested in becoming an advocate, you'll want to do the following:

1. Talk with your supervisor to get approval for program participation and to discuss goals and ideas for the department.
2. Apply using this online form. Once your application is submitted, it will be sent to your supervisor or department leader for approval. Once approval is received, you will be invited to join the Wellness Advocate meetings and be added to the MS Teams Wellness Advocate Team.

If you are already a Wellness Advocate for your department, visit this page to see available resources.