Employee Wellness

Nipissing University is committed to supporting the well-being of all staff and faculty. We understand the challenge of maintaining a positive and healthy balance between personal, work and family life. As a result, we provide a range of supportive resources, information, and assistance to all employees to support work-life balance.

Ergonomics Program

Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention Program and Training

Wellness Initiatives

Current Wellness Initiatives include
Pickleball, Wellness Wednesday's and a Gym Membership

Supports

Employee Assistance Program

Provides free short-term confidential counseling and consulting services for all employees and their dependents.


BounceBack

A free skill-building program managed by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) designed to help adults and youth 15+ manage low mood, mild to moderate depression and anxiety and worry.


First Nation and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line

(service is available in Cree, Ojibway, Inuktitut, English and French) 1-855-242-3310

Ergonomics Program

Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention Program

The Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention Program at Nipissing University was developed to support staff and faculty to work safely and efficiently and to optimize their comfort. Workers across Nipissing perform a variety of jobs with different physical and cognitive demands.

Ergonomics applies scientific theory, principles and methods to explore the relationships between the worker job tasks and the workplace. Ergonomics removes barriers to quality, productivity, and safe human performance by fitting products (equipment), tasks and environments to people.

MSD and Ergonomic Training

MSDs are strongly linked to risk factors or hazards in the workplace, therefore it is mandatory that all employees receive Ergonomics and MSD Prevention training.

Employee Training ❯   How to request an ergonomic assessment ❯

Wellness Initiatives

Employee Drop-In Pickleball

Offered most Fridays from 12:30PM – 1:30PM at the R.J Surtees Athletic Centre in Gym A.

Fall 2024 Schedule: 

October: 4,11,18 and 25

November 1,8,15 and 29

December 6

Limited equipment available on a first come first serve basis at the gym front desk. Feel free to bring your own paddle if you have one.

Complimentary Gym Membership

Nipissing University currently offers a complimentary gym membership as part of our ongoing wellness initiatives with the R.J. Surtees Athletic Centre until December 31, 2025. This great initiative is open to all FT and PT employees.

In order to participate in this initiative, please ensure to provide your employee card to access the gym. 

  • If you currently have an employee card and want to participate in this initiative: Please drop in to see the Manager, Health and Wellness (B 215C) with your employee card to register the membership. Once the membership has been registered you can begin using your card to access the athletic facility.
  • If you don't have an employee card and want to participate in this initiative: Individuals will need to submit a ticket to helpdesk.nipissingu.ca to request an employee card. Once the card is printed and received, drop in to see the Manager, Health and Wellness (B 215C) with your employee card to register the membership. Once the membership has been registered you can begin using your card to access the athletic facility.

Wellness Wednesdays

Drop-in to these virtual sessions, to connect with colleagues, pick-up a wellness tip/resource, and be entered into a random draw for a prize. 

Prizes will be distributed at every session, so don’t miss out – save the below dates from 2:30-2:45pm every Wednesday.

Join Wellness Wednesdays on Teams

Join the meeting now

 

Date Topic
October 2, 2024 Launch Day - What is Wellness Wednesday? 
October 9, 2024 World Mental Health Day
October 16, 2024 Group Benefit Overview
October 23, 2024 Burn Bright, Not Out!
October 30, 2024 Don't Let Life Drain You
November 6, 2024 No Session Today - See You Next Week
November 13, 2024 Break Activity: Meditation
November 20, 2024 Mental Health Awareness
November 27, 2024 No Session Today - See you Next Week
December 4, 2024 Journaling for Mental Health
December 11, 2024 Health and Safety: Spot It!
December 18, 2024 Holiday Stress

 

Have suggestions for future topics, questions or need more information?  

Contact the Manager, Health and Wellness at michellb@nipissingu.ca

Campus Respiratory Illness Guidelines

Campus Respiratory Illness Guidelines

As we welcome the fall season, we want to provide some public health guidance on how we all can learn to protect ourselves and our campus community from respiratory illnesses such as influenza, COVID-19 or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

If you are sick, we ask that you please stay home to prevent the transmission to others around you until all the following apply to you:

  • You are fever free
  • You do not have any new symptoms
  • Your symptoms have improved for at least 24 hours (48 hours for gastro related symptoms)

When returning to campus wearing a 3-ply mask for ten (10) after your symptoms started can provide extra protection against the spread of respiratory illnesses. Please note that masks will continue to be provided at the main entrance.

Close Contact Management (Only applicable with confirmed COVID-19 cases)

Employees who have been identified as having been exposed to an individual (Regardless of where they reside or vaccination status) who is COVID-19 positive must self monitor for symptoms for ten (10) days. Should symptoms arise, they should then follow the instructions listed above.

We strongly recommend that folks stay up to date with their routine immunization. We will be offering our annual flu shot campaign in conjunction with the Campus Health Center and you can find more details here.

Individuals who are unable to work due to any respiratory illness, will be required to utilize sick leave credits if available. Employees without sick leave credits will be required to use vacation time or leave without pay.

For more information, please visit the North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit

Should you have any questions, please contact Michelle Banks, Manager, Health and Wellness via email at michellb@nipissingu.ca.

For more information on our Ergonomics Program or any of our Wellness Initiatives please contact the Manager, Health and Wellness

Administration

Staff