Wellness@Work

Shifting the Focus from Weight to Health; Eating Disorder Awareness Week Tookit; ASIST Courses

Shifting the Focus from Weight to Health

Do your workplace wellness plans for this year include activities that focus on weight management? While they may be good intentioned, approaches to wellness that emphasize weight loss actually do more harm than good.

Promotion of simplistic messaging around eating, physical activity and weight loss have unintentionally caused harm, contributing to weight bias, stigma and discrimination. This has resulted in weight-related teasing, bullying, harassment, ostracism, pressure to lose weight, and negative comments about appearance. The toll of this social injustice is significant to all aspects of health and it's time for change.

Public health is shifting the focus from "obesity prevention" to health promotion and weight stigma prevention –putting more emphasis on health, not weight. While we are taking steps to be more body inclusive in our programs and services, we invite all organizations to consider how health is defined by more than just a number on a scale. It is integrated with physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

The following are some basic precepts to consider for a more body-inclusive approach to wellness promotion:

  • Healthy bodies come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
  • A person's bodyweight is determined by multiple complex factors, many of which are beyond their control, including genetics, physiological, environmental, social, and economic determinants.
  • There is not a linear relationship between the number on a scale and a person's quality of life or risk of disease. 
  • Everyone can benefit from interventions that help them improve their well-being, regardless of their body size.

Workplace Wellness Champions are encouraged to be mindful of how their ongoing health messaging is framed. Let's work together towards supporting the wellbeing of every body. 

Check out the following resources for specific actions you can take to reduce weight stigma and show respect for body diversity:

Eating Disorder Awareness Week Toolkit

February 1-7, 2025 is Eating Disorder Awareness Week. This is a national campaign to highlight the impact of eating disorders, challenge stereotypes and misconceptions, and offer guidance on how to support those living with an eating disorder.

This year, Every Body Collaborative – Thunder Bay Chapter has developed a toolkit with educational resources and campaign materials. It includes templates for stickers and posters, and step-by-step guides to running your own Mirrorless Monday or No Diet Day campaign. The toolkit can be tailored to any education, healthcare, or workplace setting.

Eating disorders affect us all and it takes a community to foster a culture of awareness and healing.

Click here to view the Eating Disorder Awareness Week Toolkit

Upcoming Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) Training

The Thunder Bay Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association will be hosting ASIST - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training workshops in 2025. During this two-day interactive workshop participants will learn how to:

  • Recognize invitations for help
  • Reach out and offer support
  • Review the risk of suicide
  • Apply a suicide intervention model
  • Link people with community resources

For details and to sign up, visit: https://thunderbay.cmha.ca/programs/applied-suicide-intervention-skills-training-asist/

If you're looking for support to build a healthy workplace program, TBDHU can help!
Our team of workplace wellness experts supports organizations with developing a
workplace wellness program based on their unique needs.
All services are free! For more information, visit TBDHU Workplace Health,
call 807-625-5900 or email workplacewellness@tbdhu.com.

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Workplace Wellness Update for Thunder Bay and District

Workplace Wellness Update for Thunder Bay and District

Season's Greetings from TBDHU

The TBDHU Workplace Wellness Team wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season. Thank you for your continued dedication to employee wellness. We look forward to providing you with helpful information, training opportunities, and new workplace wellness resources in the coming year.

Creating a Psychologically Healthy Workplace - Simple Steps for Workplace Leaders

Webinar recording available!

Did you miss the recent webinar on how to create a psychologically healthy workplace? Good news - it's not too late to deepen your learning on this important topic. You can watch the recording!

Click on the webinar recording link below to learn about how you can support the mental health of employees in your workplace. As Krystina Hunter, the webinar facilitator outlines, there are key meaningful actions any organization can take to foster a psychologically safe work environment, even with tight budgets, busy schedules, and competing priorities.

What's even better? The webinar also offered bonus materials to participants. If you are interested in these, please send us a quick email at workplacewellness@tbdhu.com. We'll be happy to send them to you.

The webinar was an initiative of SuperiorMentalWellness@Work, a collaborative project coordinated by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

For information about the workplace mental wellness resources and for details about future learning events, visit SuperiorMentalWellnessAtWork.com

Click here to view the webinar

Mental Health Guide for Small Businesses (NEW)

Workplace Safety North recently published a new guide to assist owners of small businesses to manage employee mental health. It was developed by advisors who are certified in psychological health and safety and trained by the Canadian Mental Health Association. This guide outlines the simple steps to recognize and manage factors that can affect mental health at the workplace. It also provides resources and tools to help small business leaders to create a supportive and safe environment for mental health.

Click here to view the Mental Health Guide for Small Businesses

12 Days of Sit Less Challenge Toolkit

Are you looking for a great way to challenge your coworkers to sit less and move more? Check out TBDHU's "12 Days of Sit Less" Challenge Toolkit. It offers workplace wellness champions a really easy way to encourage employees to take breaks from sitting each day. The customizable email templates make it as simple as "copy and paste" and have fun!

Check out the 12 Days of Sit Less Challenge Toolkit at this hyperlink: TBDHU 12 Days of Sit Less Challenge Toolkit

Mental Health First Aid - First Nations Training

Koru Training and Consulting in Thunder Bay is hosting a Mental Health First Aid for First Nations training. This is a culturally adapted training program designed for First Nations participants and anyone that works with First Nations people and communities. The 3-day training event is scheduled for January 21-23, 2025. For details, visit korudirection.com/training

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Workplace Wellness Update for Thunder Bay and District

Workplace Wellness Update for Thunder Bay and District

Upcoming webinar! Creating a Psychologically Healthy Workplace - Simple Steps for Workplace Leaders

Our workforce needs mental health support. Yet, knowing how to adequately offer it can be intimidating for an employer. Join this webinar for practical guidance on the key meaningful actions any organization can take to foster a psychologically safe work environment, even with tight budgets, busy schedules, and competing priorities.

Wednesday, December 4, 2024 from 10:00 - 11:00 am

This webinar will be hosted by Thunder Bay District Health Unit and facilitated by Krystina Hunter of K. Hunter Workplace Consulting.

For more details about the webinar, visit SuperiorMentalWellnessAtWork.com.

Interested, but can't attend? That's okay!  Register anyway and you will get a link to the recording that you can watch at any time. 

Click here to sign up for the webinar

Corporate Social Responsibility and Your Workplace Wellness Strategy

Does your workplace wellness strategy include opportunities for employees to be involved in the community? Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is actually one of the four areas of influence for a healthy workplace. By integrating CSR into the workplace, everyone benefits – employees, the organization, and the community it serves! 

For employees who engage in CSR, it can feel uplifting. It fosters a sense of purpose, encourages team bonding, and builds loyalty towards the employer. All of this enhances employee wellbeing and increases job satisfaction.  The organization benefits by improving the workplace culture and company reputation, strengthening employee engagement, and retaining and attracting new talent. 

This may be a good time to consider how your organization can make a difference in the community. During the holiday season, there is often a heightened desire to participate in initiatives that bring people together to support others. Plus, there are many community groups looking for various kinds of assistance. Aligning your company's values with ways that employees can contribute to the greater good can have a positive impact that extends far beyond the holidays.  

Interested in learning more? Check out these articles: 

Straight Up Facts About Alcohol to Know as We Celebrate the Holidays

The festive season is fast approaching!  For many of us, it’s an occasion to socialize with coworkers, family and friends. Often, alcohol is involved. This holiday season, consider reducing how much alcohol you drink – even by a little – and give yourself the gift of better health.

Here’s why: Many people don’t know about the link between alcohol and cancer. Recently, researchers have learned more about how alcohol affects our health and in 2023, Canada’s new Guidance on Alcohol and Health was released. It says that even low levels of alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases, including at least seven types of cancer. This may be surprising, as many people are more aware of other cancer prevention strategies like avoiding smoking or sun exposure. Now, reducing alcohol can be added to that list. The good news? Any reduction, whether you drink a little or a lot, can benefit your health. Every little step you take to drink less can make a difference. Find more tips and resources at StraightUpFacts.ca

Workplace leaders who wish to promote this wellness message to their employees can email workplacewellness@tbdhu.com for free resources.

If you're looking for support to build a healthy workplace program, TBDHU can help!
Our team of workplace wellness experts supports organizations with developing a
workplace wellness program based on their unique needs.
All services are free! For more information, visit TBDHU Workplace Health,
call 807-625-5900 or email workplacewellness@tbdhu.com.

Keywords: 
Wellness@Work
TBDHU
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