Teresa Steinhauer of the City of Calgary talks about sleep, wellness and life lessons
What is the biggest issue in the corporate wellness space?
Despite the research and all the leading evidence on the value of a workplace wellness program, not everybody sees wellness as a business imperative – yet. And I say yet, because we need to work with employees and managers and front-line supervisors across the corporation, to create and sustain a supportive work environment that is viewed as integral to the employment deal in today’s competitive employment market. Bringing an evidence-based approach to wellness requires a measurement framework to tell the story behind the internal health data, the key wellness indicators and outcomes. Strengthening the connections between the physical and mental well-being of employees and a more engaged and productive workforce means quality public service, the business of municipal government.
How did your 2013 WakeUp! Wellness campaign originate?
We had done an employee wellness needs and interests survey a few years ago and employees showed real interest in healthy lifestyle factors such as nutrition and sleep. The WakeUp! Campaign was a sleep health initiative that ran for four weeks and provided employer support for employees wanting to make positive changes to sleep habits. We know that sleep habits are a controllable lifestyle factor in overall health and wellness.
Over the four weeks, our plan was to bring awareness about sleep quality and quantity as a health issue that is often overlooked and yet fundamental for overall well-being. It included things like a short video with practical tips for better sleep, access to a sleep specialist from the EFAP program via info-sessions and a direct email line to ask for sleep advice, and online self-assessment tools to get a sleep score and assess where you’re at in your sleep health.
In addition, we launched the first issue of our wellness magazine. We called it the sleep issue. It highlighted articles and resources that the City of Calgary offers as an employer for addressing sleep health issues. We followed up a year later with a City-wide article about sleep health and related resources for employees and their families. And now that sleep health is integrated into The City’s overall health and wellness programming, we intend to keep it on the radar as it relates to safety, nutrition, physical activity and mental health.
What other wellness programs do you offer?
The City’s wellness mandate includes a variety of programs and services at both the corporate-wide and targeted business-unit levels. Our core programs include training modules on a supervisor’s role in workplace health and wellness, an extensive Employee and Family Assistance Program, health screening clinics, flexible work options, such as telework, onsite fitness classes, wellness lunch-and learns on a variety of lifestyle topics, and an active living program that subsidizes fitness memberships.
In addition, we run the corporate-wide wellness campaigns to raise awareness on healthy lifestyle topics. So in 2012, the topic was healthy eating and we ran a 10-week challenge called Eat Right For Life. That was followed last year by our WakeUp! Campaign. And this year we are excited about a mental health campaign on building resilience in the workplace. That’s in the works for the fall.
What’s your personal happiness and wellness rule?
I would say balance. It’s an ongoing challenge, but worth the time and effort. I am well when I am strong physically, mentally and socially. So I’ve learned to build in short periods of time for my wellness on a daily basis. For example, on a weekday, I limit the time I spend sitting at my desk, I take the stairs, I go for walks on lunch breaks. And on weekends, a day’s hike in the mountains with a friend can give me all the benefits of a week’s vacation.
As for happiness, I think the quote by Lao tzu speaks to me, “There is no way to happiness; rather, happiness is the way.”
What is the most valuable personal lesson you’ve learned?
Be true to yourself. And that requires knowing your true self. I’ve learned my limits—when to push them, when to stay within them. And I can give you a personal example. Two years ago, I completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. It’s an 813-kilometre walk from the south of France, over the Pyrenees, across the north of Spain, to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, the alleged shrine of the apostle St. James. It’s a pilgrimage that people have been doing for many, many years. My walking journey was 33 days, and it pushed my limits.
But overall, the challenges and the limits we cannot control—like the rough terrain and the weather—were offset by time for [personal] reflection, discovery and rejuvenation. So the life lessons from those 33 days are many. Among them are: humility—to stay close to the earth and remain grounded; simplicity—to know the difference between needs and wants; and compassion—to remember the golden rule to do unto others.
Yaldaz Sadakova is associate editor of Benefits Canada.
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