Wellness at Queen's

Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certificate Program

The Workplace Mental Health Leadership™ certificate program is the first of its kind in Canada, developed in partnership with the Bell Canada Mental Health and Anti-stigma Research Chair and Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University.
Register for Feb. 5, 2025

End-of-Term Discount at Dining Halls

Hospitality Services is offering a 15% employee discount at campus dining halls from Nov. 28 to Dec. 5. Employees are invited to connect with colleagues for an all-you-care-to-eat meal!
Learn more

We are committed to enhancing the work experience of Queen's employees by fostering a sustainable, accessible, positive, and inclusive work environment.

Personal Supports   Recognition   Building Community   Learning and Leadership


We invite you to share any wellness initiatives that you or your team are currently doing, as well as sharing with us a testimonial on why workplace wellness is important to you.

 Share Your Wellness Initiatives   Share Your Story: Workplace Wellbeing is Important to Me Because...

Supporting Your Wellbeing

Queen's University is committed to supporting the well-being of all employees. Our resources include: 

  • Our Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) provider, TELUS Health One (formerly LifeWorks), offers confidential, professional, and personalized wellness services that are available to employees and family members, 24/7. Services range from counselling, assessments, toolkits, videos, podcasts, and more.
  • Provided by Manulife, our benefits cover a range of mental health support, including coverage for psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers and long-term disability insurance.
Get Help

Thrive 365

Our Thrive 365 programming is created with intention and is meant to be responsive to the current needs of Queen’s employees. Programming is created as a proactive response to data received through the Employee Experience Survey, benefit usage, and event feedback surveys. In addition, wellness programming is designed to cater to the diverse needs and dimensions of an individual’s wellbeing. With guidance from the Campus Wellbeing Framework, our programming incorporates four priority focus areas:

  • Belonging and Social Connection
  • Personal Wellbeing
  • Places
  • Culture 
Explore Thrive 365

Recognition & Appreciation

Acknowledging contributions goes a long way towards creating a positive workplace morale and are key to fostering connectivity and maintaining a positive workplace culture. Queen’s offers recognition through professional development, through involvement in decision making, through team celebrations, through employee’s interests and goals, and through good communication.   

University Awards

Appreciation and Recognition Toolkits

When individuals are appreciated and recognized for their work, it contributes to their overall wellbeing. We have developed different toolkits to support employees and managers throughout their journey at Queen's. Toolkits can be downloaded and used at any time but are especially important at the start of a new role.

The Appreciation and Recognition Toolkits were inspired by work conducted by the ‘Qudos’ Team as a part of the Foundational Leadership Program. Their capstone project focused on the development of a manager toolkit with resources that highlight different forms of recognition.

Connecting. Supporting. Thriving.

Ongoing learning is key to wellness at work.

Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s) contribute to an inclusive workplace by creating equity deserving group-led spaces where employees can gather, support each other and develop professionally.  Current ERGs include Indigenous Staff and Faculty Network, Queen’s University Association for Queer Employees, Queen’s Muslim Inclusion Network, Queens’ Women’s Network, and Women in Science at Queen’s.

Proposals for new groups are welcome and can be submitted to Human Resources or the Human Rights and Equity Office for consideration.   

Connect Today

Foundational Leadership Alumni Group

The Foundational Leadership Alumni Group is a community at Queen's University committed to connection, learning and growth. The group is open to any leader at Queen’s, and acts as an incubator for growing leadership potential at the university. Join to learn more about the various events and mentorship opportunities available across campus. 

Advancing Leadership

BeWell Grant

This pilot program provides funding to support small-scale workplace well-being activities and projects as we work together to establish and nurture a vibrant, caring, and thoughtful portfolio environment. We are pleased to actively advance the university’s commitment to creating a healthy and sustainable community.

Any team/department within Queen’s University is eligible to apply for funding from the BeWell grant program. 

Application deadline: June 26, 2024

Grant Program Details

Wellness Champions Advisory Committee

The purpose of the Wellness Champions Advisory Committee is to further the work of Health and Wellness initiatives at Queen’s University, to enhance the effectiveness of programming, and to increase employee engagement. The committee members will play a pivotal role in supporting wellness as a collective by promoting the work within their teams and encouraging employee participation. This committee will report into the Provost Advisory Committee on Wellness and continue to advance the wellbeing of employees at Queen’s University.

The Wellness Champions Advisory Committee will:

  • Provide feedback on how to make projects and initiatives more impactful to the Queen’s University community
  • Provide insight on any gaps in wellness programming and initiatives as the needs of Queen’s University employees evolve.
  • Champion wellness programming within their teams
  • Encourage members to share best practices

Reporting

The Wellness Champions Advisory Committee will report into the Provost Advisory Committee on Wellness for final direction and feedback from a campus wide wellness lens. Microsoft Teams group will be created to make files and details more accessible to members.

Meetings

  • Frequency: Once a month
  • Duration: 50 Minutes
  • Location: Virtual – MS Teams
  • Timeframe: Ongoing

  • Employee Wellness Services: Linda Henderson – Coordinator, Wellness and Engagement (Co-Chair)
  • Employee Wellness Services: Danielle Dias –Coordinator, Wellness and Engagement(Co-Chair)
  • Facilities: Tony Gkotsis – Director, Campus Planning and Real Estate
  • Facilities: TBC – Custodial Staff
  • Facilities: Maridee Osolinsky – Planner
  • Office of Indigenous Initiatives: Mika Henry
  • VPFA Office: TBC
  • Athletics and Recreation: Jessica Walker – Manager, Active Living
  • Human Rights and Equity Office: Jermaine Marshall – Inclusion & Anti-Racism Advisor
  • Smith School of Business: Christine Coulter – Assistant Dean, Adjunct Lecturer and Distinguished Faculty Fellow of Organizational Behaviour
  • Organizational Development & Learning: Marina Darling – Organizational Development Consultant
  • Office of Advancement: Jodi Snowdon – Director, Annual Giving and Young Alumni
  • Library Services: Nancy Petri – Director, Finance and Administration Operations
  • Faculty of Arts and Science: Alexandra Pedersen – Manager for EDII Capacity Development (McDonald Institute)
  • School of Graduate Studies: Christopher DeLuca – Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs
  • Student Affairs: Beth Blackett – Health Promotion Coordinator
  • Faculty of Education: Ian Matheson – Assistant Professor
  • Faculty of Education: Clint Giroux – Finance and Staffing Coordinator
  • Faculty of Health Sciences: Giselle Valarezo – QHA EDIIA Initiatives, Director
  • Faculty of Engineering: Sara Couto – Mental Health Program Lead
  • Faculty of Engineering: Vera Kettnaker – Research Development Strategist
  • VP Research: Diana Purvis – Team Lead, Research Legal Services
  • Bader College: Nicola Taylor – Human Resources Manager
  • Communications – TBC
  • Principal’s Office: Jessica Whiting – Communications Manager
  • Faculty of Law: Margie Gordon – Director of Student Records and Enrollment
  • Public Service Alliance of Canada: TBC

Opportunities for career growth, skill development, and mentorship

Queen’s is committed to advancing a culture of learning for all. As a Queen’s employee, you will have countless opportunities to develop, grow, and achieve your goals. Queen’s offers a wide range of customized training, stand-along workshops, and certificate programs to help advance your career.    

Leadership Programs

Leaders play a pivotal role at Queen's. They help shape the future of our workplace, and the people within it. That's why new programming has been carefully designed and tailored to best support leaders at every stage of their journey.

Leadership Development

Learning Catalogue

Queen’s offer workshops that cover a wide range of topics and skills including communication, finance, customer service, time management, change management, and more.  Many of the workshops count toward the completion of different certificate programs.

Explore Workshops

Equity Education

The Human Rights and Equity Office provides education in the areas of human rights, equity, accessibility and sexual violence prevention and response. Our educational programs build community awareness, increase knowledge, and address systemic barriers to inclusion.

Human Rights and Equity Services