University of California, Davis
PAE-T2-5: Employee Wellness Program

UC Davis WorkLife provides programs, policies, referrals and education that enable employees and students to be effective at work, school and home. WorkLife encompasses dependent care and family services, health and wellness, financial support, career flexibility and community involvement. UC Davis offers an annual Wellness Challenge program (http://wellnesschallenge.ucdavis.edu/events.html), and incorporates environmental sustainability as one of 7 components of wellness. Two examples are: Sustainable Gardening: Focus on Edibles "Get more food from your back yard and garden more naturally. How your plant selection, soil management, watering practices, and pest control can make your yard more bountiful and your garden more rewarding. Emphasis on easy edibles with awareness of the seasonal cycles, garden beneficials, and best garden management practices. Other topics include integrating food plants in the landscape and problem-solving." and Sustainability Walk "Take a lunchtime walk and learn more about what makes UC Davis so environmentally cool. We'll provide maps and follow part of the walking tour on the campus sustainability tour map: http://www.sustainability.ucdavis.edu/local_resources/docs/sustainability_tour_map_pdf" The WorkLife program uses different means to reach employees, including activities and presentations. Example of a WorkLife and Wellness Brown Bag Series: "Slow Food and Buying Locally" "Learn practical and fun ways to introduce the philosophy of Slow Food into your kitchen and garden. Instruction includes principles of year round gardening and the glass pantry, how to express yourself seasonally through garden and glass pantry gift giving, how to shop and cook seasonally, and a primer on Slow Food Yolo and how it fits into the international slow food philosophy." The Mind Body Wellness Group created the Wellness Portal to assist students, staff and faculty in locating resources related to the various aspects of wellness. Campus resources, as well as those in Davis and the larger web community, are included, as the intent is to be a “one stop shop” for wellness. There are many interrelated dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, environmental and occupational.