Promoting the Health and Welfare of the Virginia Tech Community
In my November, 2008 column, I shared with you that President Charles Steger “established a 12 member Employee Wellness Task Force, led by Professor Kerry Redican” (please see the full list of Task Force members here). The Employee Wellness Task Force completed its work and did an outstanding job. You can see the results of their work at the new Hokies Wellness website. Think you’ll agree that Virginia Tech is committed to its strategic planning goal of promoting the health and welfare of our extended campus community.
Thanks to the 2,704 employees and retirees who completed a wellness interest survey in January and February, the Task Force learned there is significant interest and need for an employee wellness program. Given the enthusiasm expressed by our employees for the development of a wellness program and the value he places on the health and well-being of our faculty and staff, Dr. Steger approved the Task Force recommendations to build a new wellness website and roll out new fitness options. The design of the new website highlights many of the interests expressed by survey respondents.
The Hokie Wellness and Benefits Fair will now be an annual event, with the 2009 Fair scheduled for October 13, 2009 in Squires. You will be able to learn a lot more about Hokie Wellness and our exciting new programs at the October Hokie Wellness and Benefits Fair.
Seasonal flu shots will be available at the Hokie Wellness and Benefits Fair, as well as at other locations this Fall. With concerns about the H1N1 flu (which is different than the seasonal flu), we will be making a special effort to communicate with you about the availability of shots for both the seasonal and H1N1 flu. Last year, 830 employees received seasonal flu shots on campus. Of course, many more employees received flu shots through their doctor or pharmacist. To promote your own health and the overall welfare of the university community, you should pay particular attention to upcoming announcements about the availability of seasonal and H1N1 flu shots.
Organizational Climate Survey
In September, Dr. Steger will be sending out a request via e-mail and memo to most employees (except teaching faculty who were surveyed last Fall) for you to complete an organizational climate survey. What is an organizational climate survey? The survey will ask you questions about your impressions of working at Virginia Tech. Dr. Steger wants to gauge your satisfaction with various aspects of the work environment here, so we can work as a campus community to build on our strengths and address any opportunities for improvement.
The Virginia Tech Center for Survey Research will conduct the survey. Please participate in the survey. The best way for us to know what you think is for you to tell us! We will be conducting these surveys every 18 months (the next time all employees, including teaching faculty, will be asked to participate) so we have time to follow up on what we learn from you. We will share a summary of the findings.
Look After Each Other
One definition of community is a “group of people having common interests”. If the common interest of the Virginia Tech community is to advance the University’s mission of learning, discovery, and engagement, that mission went into high gear this week. One of the aspects of the Virginia Tech community I value above all others is that community means something here – we take time for each other and show we care for each other in countless ways. Through the stress, excitement, and energy of the start of a new academic year, let’s all do our part to promote the health and welfare of the Virginia Tech community and remember we all play a role in helping each other make this such a special place.
About Hal Irvin
Hal Irvin has been Virginia Tech's associate vice president for human resources since March 2008.
Before coming to Virginia Tech, Hal worked for 14 years at Georgia Tech. In his last assignment, he served as executive director of organizational development – reporting to the executive vice president for administration and finance and was responsible for employee learning, change management, and internal consulting services. He played a central role in Georgia Tech’s successful efforts to improve administrative services and transform its service culture.