Are you feeling overwhelmed by work or is your work-life balance out of whack? Have you skipped out on vacation plans this past year? If so, you are not alone. But there are many health benefits to taking vacation time and completely disconnecting from work.

Cut your risk for a heart attack. Taking vacation to get away and spend time with loved ones can lower your blood pressure and the risk of a heart attack. That alone should be a wake-up call.

Reduce stress. Sounds obvious, but it needs to be heard.  Vacations can reduce stress.  Even knowing that a vacation is coming can keep stress at bay.  And studies find that the effects can last beyond the duration of the vacation.

Better sleep. Restless nights and disrupted sleep are common complaints, often stemming from the fact that we simply have too much on our minds.  Taking a vacation can help interrupt the habits that disrupt sleep, like working late on your laptop before bed.

Increase happiness. The first big boost in happiness comes from planning the vacation.  A person can feel the effects up to eight weeks before the trip.  The more active you are with your leisure time, and the more control you have over your free time, the happier and more satisfied you will be.  And when you come back to work, the ‘good vibes’ you bring back from vacation rub off on the people around you, creating a ‘viral happiness pandemic’.  That’s a pandemic we can get behind!

Improve productivity and decrease burnout. You need time to mentally recharge in order to stay sharp and engaged.  Vacations help restock your energy storage, and reduce burnout, making it easier to tackle projects.  Relaxation can also increase your creativity.  You often get those ‘aha’ moments when your mind is relaxed.

As summer approaches, if you’ve been putting off your vacation, think again. Take some time off for your health and wellbeing.  It’s good for everyone!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Don’t miss out! Join Drake HR and All Staff Council on Wednesday, May 19, at noon for Produce for Wellness. This one-hour virtual interactive event from Capital City Fruit, includes a free box of produce, delivered to your home or office, for you to use during the session.

During this class, participants will be given tips on produce nutrition, storage and handling, and fun facts to help you get the most out of nature’s best. You will also have the chance to create your own easy and nutritious recipe with produce provided by Capital City Fruit.

To register for this class, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.  Please include your name, address (where to send ingredients), phone, email and allergies to ingredients—strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and protein powder.

Produce boxes will be shipped to you the day prior to the session so make sure you list the address you would like it sent to as your shipping address when registering – i.e. home address or office address.

Deadline to register is Tuesday, May 11, or as soon as all the spots are filled. Space is limited to 25 participants so you will want to reserve your spot today.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

This is your last chance to join the Walk this May team step challenge.

This team challenge will run through the month of May. A kick-off meeting will be held via Zoom on April 30 for all participants. Team captains will report weekly step totals and participants will receive motivational emails, including an update on team points. At the end of the month, there will be a challenge celebration via Zoom with a prize package awarded to the participants of the winning team.

You may register as a team of four or five people or register individually and you will be placed on a team. To register, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu with your team members (or just yourself if registering alone) by April 28.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

We often hear about the medical benefits of receiving a vaccine. But, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine has benefits that go across multiple dimensions of wellbeing.

Physical benefits. According to the CDC, the COVID-19 vaccine will help keep you from getting COVID-19. Based on current data, experts believe getting a COVID-19 vaccine also helps keep you from getting seriously ill, even if you do get COVID-19. Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly those at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Getting vaccinated is a great way to keep you, your family, and your community safe.

Social benefits. Once you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing more.  For example, you can gather in a home or private setting without masks with other people who are fully vaccinated. This is the first step in re-establishing those in-person connections that are so important in our lives. The more folks we get vaccinated, the more in-person social connections we can make!

Emotional and mental health benefits. No area of wellbeing has taken a bigger hit this past year than our emotional and mental health. The pandemic has created overwhelming stress. When we experience prolonged stress, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel becomes imperative for recovery. Receiving the vaccine is a way to reclaim hope and find some “normalcy” in our lives again.

Financial benefits. The financial hit from COVID-19 was felt by most across the country and world. Unemployment rates increased, fewer people ventured out to spend money which resulted in businesses closing, retirement accounts were affected, and the law of supply and demand escalated prices on goods and services. It will take a while for our economy to bounce back, but the sooner we get people vaccinated, the sooner we can restore our confidence and increase our economic activity.

As many have said, battling COVID-19 has been a marathon, not a sprint. In a marathon, some runners “hit the wall” as they near the last leg of the race, feeling fatigued and stopping or slowing to a walk. We are at that point in this pandemic. We can see the finish line. We have the tools to get there. But we need to keep going, get the vaccine and cross the finish line. It will take all of us to get there.

All Iowans 16 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The University strongly encourages any member of the Drake community who qualifies for immunization to receive it as soon as possible.

If you have questions about the vaccine, good informational resources can be found at the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccination FAQ, Wellmark.com/Coronavirus, or the Wellmark Blue article, “Questions about the Covid-19 Vaccine.”

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

This is a reminder to join our upcoming Walk this May team step challenge.

This team challenge will run through the month of May. A kick-off meeting will be held via Zoom on April 30 for all participants. Team captains will report weekly step totals and participants will receive motivational emails, including an update on team points. At the end of the month there will be a challenge celebration via Zoom, with a prize package awarded to the participants of the winning team.

You may register as a team of four or five people or register individually and you will be placed on a team. To register, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu with your team members (or just yourself if registering alone) by April 28. Let’s get moving!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Even without the pandemic, this time of year can spur a surge in financial stress and anxiety. Fortunately, there are resources available to help answer your financial questions, and assist you in making the best decisions for you and your family.

TIAA offers a number of resources for Drake employees. Explore the TIAA website for answers to questions on personal finances, life milestones, and retirement. Participate in a live or on-demand webinar, review TIAA’s weekly market commentary for educational information regarding the current financial climate, or set up a phone or video chat with Drake’s TIAA financial consultant, Paige Philips at Paige.Philips@tiaa.org.

Employee and Family Resources offers financial resources including podcasts and access to a free financial consultation.  You may contact EFR at 800-327-4692 or www.efr.org.

You may also find answers to your financial questions at the next BUILD (Bulldogs United in Learning Drake) class, 7 Barriers to My Financial Future, on Tuesday, April 13 from 10 – 11 a.m.  We will explore the seven barriers that may prevent you from achieving your goals and dreams and how to maneuver around these roadblocks and move ahead with confidence.  Scott Nelson from Legacy Financial Group will facilitate.

To register for this or any class, please send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Now that spring has sprung, it is time to go outdoors and get moving. If you need a little nudge, join our upcoming Walk this May team step challenge.

This team challenge will run through the month of May. A kick-off meeting will be held via Zoom on April 30 for all participants. Team captains will report weekly step totals and participants will receive motivational emails, including an update on team points. At the end of the month, there will be a challenge celebration via Zoom, with a prize package awarded to the participants of the winning team.

You may register as a team of four or five people or register individually and you will be placed on a team. To register, send an email to linda.feiden@drake.edu with your team members (or just yourself if registering alone) by April 28. Let’s get moving!

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Employee and Family Resources is continuing their monthly webinar series and have a full slate of presentations ready for spring. All webinars are free to attend. View a full list of upcoming classes and registration.

If you have missed past webinars, they are available for viewing on their website.

EFR offers a variety of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) resources to help you now or anytime.  Reach EAP by phone (800-327-4692) or visit their website at https://efr.org/how-we-help/work/.  All EAP benefits are confidential and available 24/7/365.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

Thank you to everyone who responded to the Faculty and Staff Wellness Interest Survey in January. We appreciate your time and value your feedback on how to provide employees with the programs, presentations, and activities best designed to meet your needs.

Based on the overall results of the survey, the most highly requested programs and presentations are mindfulness programs, healthy cooking/healthy eating, wellness challenges, walking and running clubs, and stress management programs.

Top-rated, stand-alone events include CPR/first aid, flu shots, CPHS health services (health coaching and bone density screening), chair massages, and fitness assessments.

The survey showed that most employees receive information on wellness programs through OnCampus and the HR Monthly, prefer participating over lunch or after work during the work week, and prefer programs that run 30-45 minutes. The primary barrier to participation is lack of time and inconvenient time or location.

The comments included in the survey were also helpful. Several employees requested group sports (pickle ball and volleyball), a self-defense class, and continued online webinars and fitness classes for those working remotely.

These results will provide us with areas to focus on in the coming academic year. Next steps include:

• Create a Wellness Advisory Council of faculty and staff to address the needs across campus
• Work with groups such as Head Start to address their remote worker needs
• Bring back services such as chair massages and CPR/first aid classes when it is safe to do so
• Use the results to help drive future wellbeing topics

Thank you again for participating in this survey. If you have any feedback on these next steps or other suggestions, please feel free to contact Linda Feiden at linda.feiden@drake.edu.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources

As we “march” through staff appreciation month, take a few moments to show appreciation to your peers. In addition to “shout-outs” and nominating staff for a Called to be True Blue award, here are a few additional ways to say thanks.

Voice a verbal thank-you. In the workplace, things move fast and sometimes “thank-you” gets left behind. Make it a point to show your appreciation by simply saying thanks.

Microsoft Teams Badges. Send praise to a peer using Microsoft Teams badges. There are a number of badges to choose from, including “thank-you,” “achiever,” “awesome,” and “team player.” To start sending praise, go into Teams Chat. Create a new message.  Select *** below the compose box, then select Praise. If you don’t see Praise as an option, click additional apps to find it. Select your badge, compose your message and send. That’s it!

Hand-written note. A personal note written with sincerity and specifics can sometimes mean the most to a colleague. If the person is working remotely, consider sending an electronic thank-you card or email.

Give kudos in a team meeting. An individual, face-to-face thank you is personal and effective. For some individuals, there is also room for more public appreciation—and a team meeting is the perfect place to recognize someone who has helped you out recently. It doesn’t have to be big and flashy, but be sure to be specific in how they helped.

Share a treat. Being COVID safe, share a pre-packaged treat with a co-worker with a small note of thanks.

Offer to help. Giving thanks is always a good idea. But for some, offering to help is even better. Show your appreciation to a colleague by offering your assistance. Think of those you would like to thank and then try to think of a way you can give them a hand.

— Linda Feiden, Human Resources