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PODCASTS AND ASSOCIATED MATERIALS
CEPAC-Staff Senate
PODCASTS AND ASSOCIATED MATERIALS
Wellness in the Workplace Q&A
The following questions were posed to speakers at the Wellness in the Workplace Provost-sponsored classified luncheon on November 8, 2007. Please feel free to follow-up with questions of your own.
Mike Webster, MS, from the department of Safety and Risk Management covered basic office ergonomics with a primary focus on the importance of a good chair and how to adjust such a chair for proper back support. His presentation included some health tips, basic back anatomy, and cover general principles of workstation arrangement. Mike can be reached at 994 2181 or srmgradstudent@montana.edu. He was asked the following questions:
- Is it helpful to posture etc to sit on an "exercise" ball?
Mike's recommendation: don't expect a ball of this kind to be a cure-all. You have to know how to use them appropriately: just sitting on the ball doesn't mean you're sitting properly. They are great for stretching your back.
- Do you have suggestions of how to alleviate chronic back pain that already exists?
Mike's recommendation: I would like to look at your work station and see if anything could be changed. You might talk with your supervisor about checking into eligiblity for seeing a back specialist through, or with the help of, Safety and Risk Management and/or Workers Comp.
- What about using work stations on campus where the monitors are mounted under the desk and viewed through a "window" in the desk?
Mike's recommendation: it may not be practical to discontinue using that setup. I could take a look at it and get a better idea of the whole environment to see what kinds of changes could feasibly be made.
- Is there a budget for providing an ergonimic keyboard and mouse?
Mike's recommendation: Safety and Risk Mangement operates a cost matching program. If items are deemed appropriate for replacement, SRM will reimburse the department half the cost, up to a certain amount.
Dr. Brian Kassar, psychologist from MSU’s Counseling & Psychological Services, addressed best practices in time management and stress reduction. Brian can be reached at 994 4531 or bkassar@montana.edu. He was asked the following question:
- Many staff members' duties entail fielding the kinds of distractions the presentation suggests we manage. How do we apply the principles to our job of "putting out fires"?
Brian's recommendation: It isn't always do-able, but we can ask "what is feasible" and look at handling the situation in a different way. For example, think about utilizing coworkers to help with phones when you have a deadline - and your doing the same in return.
Dr. Lynn Paul, EdD, RD, MSU Extension Food and Nutrition Specialist offered information on Intuitive Eating: The Next Anti-Diet. We now know "diets don't work", but what does? Eating based on your body's cues of hunger and fullness is the key to intuitive eating. Lynn’s presentation introduced us to intuitive eating, and how to put it into practice today. Unfortunately we ran out of time but Lynn encourages you to contact her with questions and to let her know how Intuitive Eating works out for you! Lynn can be reached at 994 5702 or lpaul@montana.edu.
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