UK HR Work-Life to host events in recognition of National Work and Family Month

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 28, 2022) — University of Kentucky Human Resources Work-Life has partnered with other HR well-being services to host several events next month to recognize National Work and Family Month. 

National Work and Family Month is an annual designation observed in October. During this time, workplaces across the country are asked to promote healthier and more flexible work environments. The goal of the campaign is to remind employers about the business benefits of supporting work-life effectiveness programs.

The theme of this year’s month is "Embracing Hope and Excellence in Work and Life." UK HR Work-Life is planning a series of workshops designed to embrace hope and excellence in one’s own life.

“This is an opportunity to support and encourage our UK employees to actively manage their work and life responsibilities one day at a time,” said Azetta Beatty, UK HR Work-Life manager. “We understand everyone must figure out what makes sense for them and how best to manage their own life circumstances.”

This year’s HR Work-Life events focus on ways employees can not only survive, but thrive.

“We will offer a variety of workshops designed to help employees find strategies to be more proactive and productive, develop and maintain healthy relationships at home and work, be prepared for family emergencies, as well as maintain self-care through proper sleep habits, self-compassion, fitness and nutrition,” Beatty said.

All sessions are from noon to 1 p.m. unless otherwise noted. The scheduled events are:

Productivity Mondays 

• Oct. 10 — Productivity vs. Procrastination, where participants will explore common reasons for procrastination, as well as how to identify and combat procrastination tendencies. Participants will analyze other work habits that may slow productivity efforts, such as productive procrastination, and learn to redirect these efforts. Register for the session here.
• Oct. 17 — Organizing Your Time and Workspace offers strategies for organizing physical and digital spaces, including files and paperwork. Participants will learn techniques to simplify their life and maximize their time, including using productivity journaling, and creating personal and professional routines to foster productivity. Register for the session here.
• Oct. 24 — Establishing Priorities and Building Focus encourages task prioritization. This workshop covers strategies to build focus and manage tasks. Participants will practice goal development to enhance productivity skills. Register for the session here. 
• Oct. 31 — Work-Life Balance explores the relationship between productivity, work-life balance and workplace burnout. Participants also will examine personal and professional self-care strategies. This workshop teaches approaches for prioritizing various roles and responsibilities, as well as steps to take when feeling overwhelmed. Register for the session here.

Timely Tuesdays

• Oct. 4 — Simple sheet pan cooking class demo at The Food Connection in The 90, 12:15-1:15 p.m. Learn more and register here. 
• Oct. 18 — Elder care lunch and learn. Overview of Medicaid adult services: The home and community-based waiver program versus long-term care. Register here. 
• Oct. 25 — College funding: Financial aid, scholarships and UK tuition discounts. Presenters will be from UK Financial Aid Office and UK Benefits Employee Education Program/Family Education Program. Register here.

Work-Life Wednesdays

• Oct. 12 — EatWell – Nutrition and well-being, 12:15-12:45 p.m. You’ve heard the phrase, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” We’ll discuss how this advice applies to nutrition, how you can embrace “good enough,” and strategies for putting it into practice. Register for the session here. 
• Oct. 19 — The Working Parents Network virtual coffee chat is from 8:30-9 a.m. via Teams. Register here.
• Oct. 19 — The elder caregivers support group meets from noon-1 p.m. via Zoom. Register here.
• Oct. 26 — Real talk roundtable: Maintaining healthy relationships at home and work. Join the Work+Life Connections therapists in a roundtable discussion on balancing and maintaining relationships at home and at work. Hear the therapists share their ideas on healthy relationship boundaries and coping skills that encourage positive and resilient relationships with our families and our coworkers. Register for the session here.

Thriving Thursdays

• Oct. 6 — Family emergency preparedness tips. Hear about some helpful guides and resources for preparing your family for the worst-case scenario. Register for the session here. Here are some of the topics this presentation will cover:
  • having a survival mindset;
  • how to make a disaster kit for your home/office;
  • creating a family emergency communication plan;
  • including your children in disaster preparation; and
  • resources in your community to strengthen your level of preparedness.

• Oct. 13 — Caregiving with self-compassion and loving kindness. As caregivers, well-being and nourishment is directly linked to the care they're able to provide. Whether you need encouragement, a reset, or some research-based tools rooted in self-compassion and mindfulness, join the conversation. You’ll come away from this session with ideas you can use right away to support yourself during the ups and downs of caregiving. Register for the session here.
• Oct. 20 — Fitness self-care tips. Learn practical ways to keep moving to maintain good physical fitness whether you are working from home or on-site. Let’s re-examine the goal, the tools and who is involved. This might mean your couch, your family, your co-workers or your office building. The goal is to use fitness to improve health, combat stress, manage weight and connect with others. Register for the session here.
• Oct. 27 — Creating sleep habits for better ZZZZs. Tune in for a conversation about using sleep science and the body’s circadian rhythm to create sleep habits that work for you. Register for the session here.

Also, on Oct. 11, the latest episode of the "Becoming Wildly Resilient" podcast will be released. The podcast will discuss raising resilient children and supporting their (and your own) mental health.

Other reoccurring weekly services such as Untangle Tuesday and Monday Meditation Monday will highlight family and work-life harmony, various meditations and self-regulation tools this month.

For more information, contact Azetta Beatty at worklife@uky.edu.