For anyone who works on a university campus, particularly one as vibrant and dynamic as UBC, September is not actually autumn – it is more like springtime. Similar to green leaves on the trees and blooming flowers, the campus comes alive with the faces of new students, staff and faculty. New school clothes, great goals for the upcoming year, colleagues returned from vacation: all of this brings a refreshing, busy hum of excitement on campus.
September can also be a difficult time, particularly for our newest colleagues. The stress related to starting a new job can be overwhelming at times. The stress can also manifest itself physically: considering that more than half of all the injury claims to WorkSafe BC are from employees in the first six months of their job, we definitely need to support our new colleagues! Here are few ideas to help your new colleagues with the learning curve:
- Help them find health resources by forwarding this newsletter to them and encouraging them to register (I really appreciate it! Welcome to UBC new staff and faculty!)
- Tell them about ways to incorporate health and safety into their day, with recreational opportunities and the Healthy UBC Blog .
- Visit the Staff and Faculty Back-to-School page from UBC Events that outlines opportunities and resources for all members of the community.
The other day, I realized that since kindergarten, I have spent only three Septembers not at a school (as a student, staff or faculty). I have to admit that, after quite a few Septembers in the back-to-school mindset, I find myself trying to ignore the refreshing springtime feeling. I know the familiar drill and I fall into my steady rhythm. I honestly let out a sigh when I think about the line-ups that will soon be at my favourite lunch spot on campus, and the difficulty I will soon have trying to find a parking space outside my work building. Soon, I will settle into lunchtime traditions, spending the hour with my colleagues (or to be more truthful, I will settle into working through my lunch more frequently than I would like).
When I began to re-frame my thinking about September as our university’s version of springtime, however, I realized that September also brings opportunities to make new habits and contribute to a changing culture on campus. This month, everyone (newcomers and those of us with more experience at UBC) have the opportunity to start the year fresh with new healthy habits and goals.
For everyone who has “been there, done that,” I hope you will join me in relishing the opportunities that September brings us. September can allow us to recommit to creating a culture of health at UBC: “…a working environment where employee health and safety is valued, supported and promoted through workplace health programs, policies, benefits, and environmental supports….” (reference: http://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/glossary/index.html#C3).
Culture is consistently in flux, and individuals within that culture are able to influence its direction. We can see September, in particular, as “fresh start” on campus, giving us an opportunity to negotiate and influence our university culture throughout the year. In committing to health, we make a better community for our new colleagues and ourselves.
Here’s to health!
All my best,
Suzanne
We are looking for volunteers to join UBC Thrive in helping to build a healthier community. Thrive 2011 is a week-long series of free events running Oct. 17-21, taking place at UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses , for students, staff and faculty.
Over a year ago, my colleague was eating her lunch and it smelled amazing. She showed me her Tupperware container and I remarked, “Oh, I love garlic mashed potatoes!” It turned out that she was not eating mashed potatoes; she had “fauxtatoes”: cauliflower disguised as mashed potatoes. From that day forward, I began a new love for cauliflower.
