Employee Wellness Program
The mission of the state Employee Wellness Program is to promote a work environment that encourages healthy lifestyle choices, decreases the risk of illness and disease, and enhances employee effectiveness and well-being. We encourage you to stay informed about health issues that affect you. Take steps to maintain o improve your health and use the resources on this website to help make your life a long and healthy one.
Employee Wellness Program
General Information
The mission of the state employee wellness program is to promote a work environment that encourages healthy lifestyle choices, decreases the risk of illness and disease, and enhances employee effectiveness and well-being.
CalHR acts in a leadership role to help departments develop a healthy worksite and implement a proactive onsite wellness program that encourages employee engagement at all levels.
Wellness Coordinators in each State department work to offer wellness education or program activities and healthy information for you and your fellow employees.
We encourage you to stay informed about health issues that affect you. Take steps to maintain or improve your health and use the resources at your department and on this website to help make your life a long and healthy one.
Resources below may contain links to external websites. Once you leave this site, you will be subject to the policies of the destination website.
Events
The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) is excited to announce Healthier U Connections- an innovative, online wellness service that allows state active employees to continually track health behaviors and access wellness resources, such as healthy recipes, exercise videos, ask a physician, and much more.
View our success story videos and learn more about Healthier U Connections.
Take A Hike – The Take A Hike! program is coordinated by California State Parks.
Downtown Sacramento City Walks – Come out and join a group walk during the lunch hour. This walk occurs the second Tuesday of every month and departs at Noon from 10th Street and Capitol Mall on the west side of the Capitol.
Employee Discounts
- CalHR Wellness Discounts – Contact your Departments Wellness Coordinator for more information.
- Wellness Discount Procedure (PDF) | Follow this procedure when requesting to add a state employee discount to the CalHR wellness web site.
- Vendor Employee Discount Application
- Wellness Vendor List – Fill out this survey if you would like to be listed as a contact for wellness fairs, resources, or education/training for state department wellness coordinators.
Smoking Cessation
- American Cancer Society – Great American Smokeout: The third Thursday of every November.
- California Smokers’ Helpline – Free telephone counseling program. 1-800-NO-BUTTS / 1-800-662- 8887
- Clearing the Air – Quit Smoking Today – Free information from the National Cancer Institute.
Additional Information
Contact your department wellness coordinator for more information about your worksite program.
For more information about your health plan, please visit the CalPERS website.
Healthier U Connections
Why Healthier U
Since state employees spend most of their waking hours at work, the State of California wants to create a workplace that promotes and sustains a culture of health to enhance the overall well-being of the state workforce so that employees are happy, healthy, and productive.
A 2012 Urban Institute Study of CalPERS medical care expenditures in 2008 found that 22.4 percent ($362 million) was attributable to chronic diseases amenable to prevention through changes in diet and physical activity. A five percent reduction among state employees in the prevalence of preventable conditions could save the state $18 million annually.
Healthier U is about improving productivity, lowering absenteeism and reducing workers’ compensation claims. It’s about helping employees meet their wellness goals so they can lead healthy lives at work and at home.
Making Workplace Wellness Work: A Labor Management Approach
Healthier U was developed by a unique partnership between CalHR, SEIU Local 1000, State Treasurer’s Office, State Controller’s Office, CalPERS, Kaiser Permanente and Sierra Health Foundation with support from The California Endowment and The California Wellness Foundation.
Healthier U is built on a unique labor-management approach that actively solicits and incorporates employee feedback by:
- engaging all levels of the organization;
- establishing equal representation of labor and management on committees and workgroups;
- building on employees intrinsic motivation through friendly competition and peer support;
- securing executive leadership support;
- actively utilizing “boosters” or wellness champions to make small changes in their individual work areas and to help support wellness efforts; and
- meeting employees where they are so employees can pursue their own personal goals.
Each Healthier U program is unique to the department that is building it.
- It is not a one-size fit all.
- It is not a wellness program in a box.
- It is your wellness program designed by and for you.