Participating in a university-based community effort (multi-week program, attending at least 85% of sessions over a minimum of 8 weeks) is necessary to be eligible for this incentive. You must complete an attestation form in HCM by Nov. 30 to earn the incentive.
Why is this Important?
Having close relationships at work has been found to positively affect employee retention, safety, work quality and engagement. Research indicates that people feel better emotionally when they do kind things for and with other people. Building community within the university is an important part of building well-being for faculty, staff and the university.
Small Acts, Big Impact: Be Healthier, Happier, and More Successful Through Kindness
In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world, essential dynamics like collaboration, cohesion, and validation are often overlooked - if not outright dismissed. This is a missed opportunity, as scientific evidence shows that these positive interactions boost productivity, enhance problem-solving, spark innovation, and strengthen team spirit, leading to significantly improved overall performance. Moreover, research reveals that the benefits of kindness extend beyond the workplace - promoting physical health, longevity, and reducing stress and discomfort in ways that modern medicine can’t fully explain. Join MJ Shaar, MAPP, to explore the transformative power of kindness in the workplace and learn how to turn “have a good day” from polite lip service into reality. Together, let’s create the culture we want to thrive and grow in.
Key Take-Aways for Participants will Include:
- How kindness contributes to physical and mental health improvements
- How being kind provides competitive advantages that lead to higher success levels at work
- How to make kindness an uplifting and sustainable part of our daily lives
Tuesdays, March 25 - May 20, 2025 from 12:30-1:30 pm via Zoom (no session on 4/8/25)
Everyday Anti-Racism Series
Love fiction and looking to spark your thinking and action on antiracism? Join us for one or more informal discussions with CWRU Professor Mark Joseph to discuss stories from his recently completed volume, Changing the Narrative: Short Stories to Advance Everyday Antiracism. Join these sessions to continue the reading and discussions from Fall 2024. Attendance in the fall sessions is not a prerequisite to participate. You must register for each individual session you wish to attend. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.
Power - Thursday, May 8, from 12:30-1:30 pm
Coping with Current Events: Cultivating Attentional Agency
Join Daron Larson, BA, originator of the term "Attentional Fitness", for a mindful approach to coping with events this fall. Topics of this 4-week mini-series include:
More Than Calm: Mindful Habits for Thriving in an Attention Economy
Your attention is a scarce resource. The most valuable companies in the world are competing for it. Reflect on your current attention budget, use your values to help you revise it, and learn how mindful habits equip you to pull it off.
Inside Out for Grown-Ups: How Becoming a Connoisseur of Feelings Prepares You to Respond More Effectively
Regulating emotions is one of the most empowering skills a person can develop. Instead of instructions on how to do this, we get a steady stream of stories about conflict and escalation. Learning how to relate to our real-time emotional reactions helps us get better at feeling them without making them worse or blaming them on other people.
Setting Limits: Navigating News, Technology, and Social Media-Related Stress
The problem isn’t information overload. It’s social and emotional overwhelm. Profitable companies design their content and marketing to grab and hold onto your attention. Explore ways you can start to decide what to pay attention to instead of defaulting to what demands it.
Less Dramatic Holidays and a More Mindful New Year
Learn ways to sneak a mindful awareness into the holiday season to savor the pleasant moments more and avoid making the unpleasant moments worse. Discover how small, doable mindful habits help equip you to navigate work pressures, family dramas, and the challenges of ordinary life—throughout the year.
This program may return in 2025.
*Participants can earn a Wellness Program Incentive in the Community Well-being category for participating in two of the "Coping with Current Events" mini-series.
Improve Your Well-Being Through Meaningful Connections at Work
Full-time employees spend more than half of their waking hours engaged in the workplace environment, including meetings and communications with coworkers. It’s no surprise that our interactions with coworkers have a significant influence on our mental, emotional, and social well-being. This interactive mini-series will offer a unique opportunity to explore the science behind meaningful workplace relationships and how they contribute to overall job satisfaction and well-being.
Over four sessions, Jessica Grossmeier, PhD, MPH, will delve into a science-based framework designed to help you cultivate authentic and impactful interpersonal relationships in your professional life, as well as emphasize the importance of finding a balance between personal and professional aspects of your life - enhancing both your workplace performance and overall happiness. Guided by a skilled instructor, you will participate in breakout rooms and large group discussions to apply the concepts learned and practice integrating them into your daily conversations. Each session will focus on a specific approach to enhancing your social connections with coworkers. You will have the opportunity to implement these strategies during your workweek, allowing you to seek feedback and support from your peers in the subsequent class.
This program may return in 2025.
*Participants can earn a Wellness Program Incentive in the Community Well-being category for participating in two of the "Coping with Current Events" mini-series.
Building Blocks of Civil Discourse
Fall 2024 brings the U.S. election and ongoing world affairs which may present challenges in regard to interactions with others. Being familiar with the critical skills and tools to manage healthy dialogue and conflict, give hope, and empower individuals to engage in civil discourse will be the focus of this new mini-series. Learn more about key interactive skills that build consensus through a civil discourse approach in this skills-based series led by Rhonda Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Sustained Dialogue Institute. Each session will provide an in-depth overview of the specific topic as well as time for reflection and large group discussion. Session topics include:
- Us and Them: Resisting Dehumanization and Polarization
- How to Manage Your Emotions (practicing self-regulation during conversations)
- What can Dialogue Do? Stories of Successful Dialogue
- Processes and Tools for In-Group and Affinity Group Conflicts
This program may return in 2025.
*Participants can earn a Wellness Program Incentive in the Community Well-being category for participating in two of the "Coping with Current Events" mini-series.
Reflection Point
Reflection Point brings professor-led literature seminars to workplaces and community settings to build confidence, critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. Over the course of 12 weeks, the group will discuss three different books. Through shared narratives, Reflection Point encourages and nurtures work cultures rooted in trust, open dialogue and strong social connection – all critical elements of wellbeing.
Learn more on the Reflection Point website.
Get a feel for the program by watching this short video:
One group will be available during Summer 2025:
Wednesdays - May 28 - August 13, from 12-1 pm, via Zoom
Those who have not yet participated in previous Reflection Point groups will have priority. Please email erc10@case.edu if you are interested in participating.
Building Community, Connections & Personal Healing Through Storytelling
Storytelling fosters individual and collective well-being and has the power to change lives. Not only is using strategic storytelling skills a powerful communication tactic, but it also enhances belonging within groups and strengthens the ties that bind individuals together. Join Matthew Dicks, author of "Storyworthy", "Someday is Today", and "Stories Sell", master storyteller and multiple Moth GrandSLAM champion, in improving your ability to tell great stories while exploring your life more deeply and forming interesting new relationships with your workshop colleagues. Attend this series to learn how to be a good storyteller and to experience the many ways in which storytelling can improve your life.
Future series offerings TBD.
Wellness Walk & Talk Series
Get some fresh air, connect with fellow faculty and staff, and expand your awareness of the innovative and creative activities occurring at CWRU with the Wellness Walk & Talk Series! Walk & Talk sessions will be offered weekly during the months of June, July, and August. All sessions will take place from 12:30-1:30 pm and will occur on Tuesdays and Mondays. Attend at least 7 sessions to qualify for a Community Well-being program incentive.
Look for this program again in 2025!
Crafters@Case
Crafters@Case brings together a diverse group of staff, students and faculty from the Schools of Nursing, Engineering, MSASS, Research Administration, and multiple departments in the School of Medicine to create handmade donations in support of local community organizations. Groups currently meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays via Zoom. Everyone is welcome regardless of skill level.
Learn more about Crafters@Case. With questions, email Tanya Smith (tdc9@case.edu) or Sheila Campbell (smc26@case.edu).