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Wellbeing

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Resources to support your wellbeing and those you care about.

Read the Employee Wellbeing Update

Newsletter updates full of useful tips and resources for self-care, remote work, caregiving, financial wellbeing, and more. 

Employee Wellbeing Update

Find Wellbeing Resources

Browse this overview of programs and services to support all the dimensions of your wellbeing: Physical, Mental, Relationships, Financial, Cultural, Environmental, and Occupational. You can also download a convenient booklet to print or save on your computer.

Wellbeing Resources


Wellbeing Adventures on Viva Engage

Join a supportive community of Cornell colleagues using Microsoft Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) to share tips and conversations around wellbeing.

Just login to the feed shown at right- all Cornell employees have access. 

Click here for more information about Viva Engage at Cornell, and instructions on how to install the app.


 About Wellbeing at Cornell

Wellbeing is a multifaceted and continually changing process. 

multicolored circular diagram "Employee Wellbeing at Cornell" incorporating icons for mental, relationships, physical, cultural, environmental, occupational, financial.

Your ability to thrive at work, at home, and beyond is interconnected with all the dimensions of your wellbeing: mental, physical, relationships, cultural, environmental, occupational, and financial.

Cornell invests in a wide range of benefits, programs, and services to support employee wellbeing. Refer to the Employee Wellbeing at Cornell Resources Guide booklet to browse for university and community resources organized by wellbeing dimension.

Cornell University formally adopted the Okanagan Charter to become a Health-Promoting Campus, working to transform the health and sustainability of our current and future societies, strengthen communities, and contribute to the well-being of people, places, and the planet. Learn more about the Okanagan Charter.

Video Transcript

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[Christine] I think what it means to be a health 
promoting campus is for us to really  

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set an environment where that promotes health and  

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wellbeing amongst all of our faculty and 
staff and students. Um... it changes the culture.

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[Avery] What does it mean to be a health 
promoting campus or university, it's a great question.

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[Julie] It means looking at the systems and the 
structures and the settings here at Cornell.

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[Michelle] The policies that we have in place to help people 
thrive. [Aaron] It's not just an add-on it's 'not maybe  

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you do this'. It means you... you feel it in small 
ways everywhere. [Christine] And we make sure that we have a  

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place where folks feel like they can take care 
of themselves. [Avery] We exist to support students. As  

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faculty and staff um... we're not able to do that 
unless we're our best selves.  

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[Cortney] I think it's as simple as a campus that supports structures that promote wellbeing for everyone there;  

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students, staff and faculty. [Avery] And what that means is 
not just physical best selves, but... but mentally as well.

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[Michelle] It's also about seeking to understand how 
people interact with those systems and those  

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policies to understand their impact. [Julie] And the 
ways that we can improve upon things so that  

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we are supporting holistic health and wellbeing 
for everyone. [Aaron] Through, through colleagues, you see  

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it through leadership, um you feel it. [Michelle] And how 
the wellbeing of one population impacts the  

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wellbeing of another. [Avery] We need to bring um... you 
know, the best parts of us to our classrooms and  

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to our engagements with the students. And so when 
I think about a Health Promoting Campus I think  

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about how do we support our faculty and staff 
so that they can do that. [Ryan] For me this commitment  

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is foundational to making sure we always stay focused on that in all of our decisions, all of  

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our policies and all the ways we think about 
supporting this campus holistically.

Video Transcript

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[Martha] Health and wellbeing is 
foundational for academic and life  

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success. Cornell's formal adoption 
of the Okanagan Charter builds on  

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our long-standing commitment 
to become a Health Promoting University.

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[Kathryn] One of the most important things that 
Cornell University has done recently is to sign  

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the Okanagan Charter, which really declares our 
commitment to being a Health Promoting Campus. 

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[Martha] This commitment advances in a systemic, sustainable 
way the spirit of the student mental health review,  

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priorities for faculty and staff wellbeing 
and ways we support the wellbeing of our  

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built environment and our planet. [Michelle] I am so proud 
that Cornell University has signed the Okanagan  

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Charter and committed to doing this work for all 
constituencies at the University in a unified way.  

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[Lisa] It is an important signal of our commitment as 
a campus to really paying close attention to the  

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ways that we promote thriving and wellbeing in 
all that we do. [Ryan] This commitment is foundational  

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to making sure we always stay focused on that 
in all of our decisions, all of our policies  

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and all the ways we think about supporting this 
campus holistically. [Kathryn] A Health Promoting Campus  

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means that the campus supports everyone, not only 
individually, but also importantly, collectively,

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in terms of achieving a feeling of wellbeing, a 
sense of.. of healthiness across the entire campus.  

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Not just for individuals but for the entire set 
of constituents as well as for our campus itself.

 

Video Transcript

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[Michelle] Remember that when we're fatigued and overwhelmed, our productivity  

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is hindered. It takes us longer to accomplish the things that we want to accomplish. So this  

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becomes a self-perpetuating cycle, where we're working more hours but they're less effective hours.

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[Julie] I find that it is most impactful for me in supporting my wellbeing if what I'm doing  

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not only fills my cup but also is meaningful to me, and perhaps even meaningful to other people.  

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[Lisa] Be generous to yourself, and be generous to others. Don't beat yourself up... right um... it's so easy to do  

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but we have a choice in how we respond to things that happen. And when we have that choice to focus  

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on the positive uh... and be optimistic I think that makes a really big difference. [Aaron] I mentioned I run.  

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sometimes I will just sign up for a race, it's not about I... I expect to win and something but  

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it's just I'm going to work toward some goal, for myself. [Ten] It's important to me to be able to like,  

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live in my space. I have a cubical, you know, it's not an office but it's... it's me. Which is a little  

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thing but it's so important. [Travis] Stay active. I think it's a really good thing, you know, whether it's  

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walking or just doing different activities [Ten] Try to, especially on Cornell, make sure to be getting out  

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and getting a walk, and seeing all of the beautiful landscaping. [Travis] Not just just physical wellbeing but  

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mental wellbeing, you know, talking to others. Just having general conversations outside of work.  

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I think just makes it more natural and, you know, less stressful when you can talk about  

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other things rather than just work all the time. [Christine] I definitely want to encourage everyone to take care  

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of themselves and don't be afraid to ask for some help if you need it. If you're struggling reach out  

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to someone, we have a lot of resources here at the university that are available to you. So my advice  

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is to seek out what's available tap into those resources. Check in, talk to someone if you need  

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to. Take a pause if you need to, do that. Do whatever it takes but prioritize your own sense of wellbeing.