作者:大卫·辛普森 

Old Dominion University has won recognition from the 2022 健康iest Employers of Virginia awards program, which honors organizations that emphasize the well-being of their employees.  

“I am so pleased 和 excited to learn about the national award received by ODU as one of Virginia’s 健康iest Employers for 2022,” said September S和erlin, vice president for human resources, 多样性, equity 和 inclusion. “这个奖项, based on employee wellness programs, reflects ODU’s commitment of fostering healthy habits for our employees 和 our surrounding community.” 

ODU is listed sixth among employers in Virginia that have 1,500-4,999 workers. Bolstering the University’s case for inclusion was the Monarch 健康 Trail program, 由ODU创建 人力资源 Department in 2021 in response to gym closings during the COVID-19 p和emic.  

Conceived by HR’s Kim Butler, Brenda Johnson 和 JaRenae Whitehead 和 approved by S和erlin, the program includes three marked trails on the main campus: 

  • Stadium 健康 Trail: Starts at Lot 8 和 goes around S.B. 巴拉德体育场(0.6英里).   

  • Academic 健康 Trail: Starts at 49th Street 和 Hampton Boulevard (1.5英里).  

  • Campus Tour 健康 Trail: Starts at Bluestone 和 49th Street, near the ERT bike repair station (0.85英里).   

The h和some signs along the routes sprang from a $2,000 grant awarded to 人力资源 by Town-N-Gown, 巴特勒说.  

From fall 2021 to fall 2022, the trail program included twice-monthly group walks, three times each day. The trails remain open to faculty, staff, students 和 local residents.  

On a blue-sky, 65-degree day early this month, Elaine Ross walked the stadium trail.  

“I love it,” said Ross, coordinator for graduate recruitment, who works in Rollins Hall. “I usually try to take one or two walks a day, just to get away from my desk.” 

In making its case to be a 健康iest Employer, the University also highlighted its other efforts to help employees thrive during the p和emic. Those endeavors included telework, 视频会议, public health emergency leave, 和 free COVID-19 testing, 疫苗和口罩. 

The only other higher-ed institution on the 2022 list, the University of Virginia, ranked No. 7 among organizations employing 5,000 or more.  

Award applicants were evaluated across six categories: 文化 和 领导, Foundational Components, 战略规划, Communication 和 Marketing, Programming 和 Interventions, 和 Reporting 和 Analytics. Completed assessments were ranked with the proprietary 健康iest Employers® Index, a 1-100 rubric for wellness programming. The survey is scored 和 powered by Springbuk, a health intelligence platform.    

自2009年以来, Springbuk has administered the 健康iest Employers® Awards Program across the country to honor employers who strive to improve their worksite health 和 wellness programs. 欲知详情，请浏览 www.Springbuk.com 和 www.健康iestEmployers.com.