Author Names, Degree, Affiliation • Author Name, Degrees, Affiliation – Helvetica

1. Author Names, Degree, Affiliation • Author Name, Degrees, Affiliation – Helvetica Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis Indiana Results Results Strategies Abstract Sensitive to employee concerns resulting from past experience, this peer-led research team was intentional in employing strategies to address these concerns, build trust, and encourage participation. We engaged our co-workers to help paint a true picture of workplace health and wellness at Indiana University. • Satisfactory participation rates were observed among both men and women, faculty and staff, and various racial/ethnic groups. • The percentage of minority survey responders (12%) was somewhat lower than the percentage of minority employees (21%). • Staff participation in the survey was higher than faculty; staff represent 26% of employees but 35% of survey responders. • While nearly half of all full-time employees are men (47%), only one-third (32%) of survey responders were men.   • To ensure representativeness, survey responses were weighted by employee demographics prior to generating results. • 32% of IU’s full-time employees responded to the 2013 IU Workplace Health & Wellness Survey (n = 5,523), with similar response rates across all 8 campuses (31%-44%). • This survey captured measures of health and perception of workplace supports for health using 65 quantitative and 2 open-ended qualitative questions. • Clear health advantages (e.g., low smoking rate) and challenges (e.g., poor mental health) emerged from the results to guide our employee wellness policies and programs. Organization: Indiana University (IU) is one of the largest employers in Indiana, with more than 17,000 full-time employees on 8 campuses. It is a major public research institution, grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, and a world leader in professional, medical, and technological education. Program: The IU Workplace Health and Wellness Survey of full-time IU employees was conducted in 2013 to establish baseline measures of workplace health and support. Sensitive to employee concerns about confidentiality and ties to insurance premiums, the peer-led research team implemented a voluntary, anonymous, and transparent survey strategy that could be repeated over time to gauge the impact of a University-wide wellness initiative. Evaluation Plan: Health measures and perceptions of workplace supports were captured using 67 quantitative and qualitative questions. The survey was considered to be successful if the response rate was ≥ 30% and representative of the employee population by gender, race/ethnicity, and job type. Results: A total of 32% of IU’s full-time employees responded to the survey (n = 5,523), with similar response rates across all 8 campuses (31%-44%). Organizational impact is evidenced through intra- and inter-campus wellness committees, who are utilizing results to foster a culture of health, expand access to wellness programs, and develop innovative approaches to priority issues. Survey Responders Compared to All Full-Time Employees Background & Program In 2009, Indiana University asked all full-time employees to complete an individualized Health Risk Assessment and to declare their smoking status via personal affidavit. These actions were linked to current and future employee health insurance contributions. An online petition signed by nearly 700 employees noted “considerable damage to the morale” and a need for respect, collegiality, and thoughtfulness. The university responded by dropping the HRA and changing course. A new department was created in 2011, Healthy IU, separate from benefits and employment administration, charged with implementing employee wellness initiatives. With this backdrop, the research team housed in the School of Public Health was asked by Healthy IU to develop a survey approach which could re-engage employees, enabling us to establish baseline measures of workplace health by which progress toward a healthier IU might be gauged. Survey Response Rates by IU Campus, 2013 Impact Evaluation Plan Acknowledgements The survey was considered to be successful if the response rate was > 30% on each of the 8 campuses and across the university on the whole, and generally representative of the employee population by gender, race/ethnicity, and job type. The survey will be repeated at the 2 year interval to gauge progress in our efforts to improve workplace health and wellness at IU. Successful implementation of this survey, given the historical context, marked a fresh start for workplace wellness at Indiana University. Formation of a new inter-campus Wellness Committee quickly resulted. These leaders, as well as campus-specific Wellness Committees, are using survey results to guide organizational & policy changes, as well as improve awareness and access to evidence-based health programs in the workplace. Two of the eight campuses have since adjusted their strategic plans to incorporate employee wellness objectives. • The research team gratefully acknowledges: • Patty Hollingsworth and the Healthy IU Department for funding this baseline survey of employee health & wellness and for working diligently to help us become “the healthiest university in America.” • Gary Pike, PhD and the team at Information Management & Institutional Research who assisted us with implementation of the online survey and post-survey weighting. Strategies Used by a Large Midwestern University to Build Trust and Encourage Participation in a Survey of Workplace Health & Wellness Tess D. Weathers, MPH1• Jennifer M. Alyea, MPH2 • Lisa K. Staten, PhD1 • Gregory K. Steele, DrPH, MPH2 1Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences • 2Department of Epidemiology Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI I 714 North Senate Ave. I Indianapolis, IN 46202 I www.pbhealth.iupui.edu