Employee Engagement

Welcome to the home of Employee Engagement at the University of Delaware where we're working to create an environment that supports personal wellbeing, purpose-driven work and a sense of belonging for our community of Blue Hens.

 

Our wellbeing and recognition programs support physical and mental health, connection and community building for faculty, staff, retirees and their household members.

Walktober participants log 306,164,942 steps

UD’s annual fall-themed activity challenge, Walktober, was capped off with a shoe drive and group walk on Thursday, Nov. 9, when employees gathered to celebrate participants' collective achievements. Beginning on Sept. 18 and ending on Oct. 29, 859 faculty, staff, retirees and household members recorded over 394,623 minutes (about nine months) of exercise, collected 24,746 total leaves and logged 306,164,942 steps — equivalent to around six times around the world.

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Human Resources organized the group walk, which began at the Carpenter Sports Building, moved down the Green and briefly stopped on the steps of Memorial Hall to hear from Melissa Bard, vice president and chief human resources officer, who shared words of encouragement and highlighted the importance of mental and physical wellbeing.

Congratulations to this year's winning teams:

1st Place: “My Sole Called Life” Moira Curtis, Bema Amponash, Caitlin Gallagher, Sally Healy, Yawo Baah, Jaime Tomlinson and Joan Parker

2nd Place: “Walk the Walk” Janet Caruccio, Jennifer Riegner, David Schultz, Christine Schultz and Jeff Riegner

3rd Place: “Lil ‘wRECking Bobbers” Andrea Alesi, Laura Grimes, Lauren Dudziak, Cecilia Kelly, Tim Groth, Alysha Parker, C.K. Pena, Aimee Mercado, Adam Jines and Mirza Javed

Participants collected 34 pairs of shoes to be donated to Samaritan’s Feet for distribution to people in need around the world. Gently worn sneakers will be accepted at the Human Resources offices, 550 S. College Ave., Suite 201, Newark, DE 19713, until Friday, Nov. 17, and is open to anyone who would like to contribute.

Thank you for joining Walktober, and we look forward to more wellbeing opportunities at UD.

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Wellbeing

“4mind4body” interactive unity art project on the North Central Green as part of 4 days of events and programming by UD’s Campus Wellbeing Collaborative to highlight May as National Mental Health Month. The installation featured a ribbon “loom” where participants could write short messages about what makes them happy and a “I’m fine but…” board which used colored balls participants could anonymously drop into wells expressing something they generally hide from others when asked how they’re doing.

UD Mental Health First Aid Directory

These faculty and staff are certified in Mental Health First Aid, and open to connecting with members of the UD community to offer support. These individuals are trained to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate care if necessary.

view the directory

You may email these individuals directly at any time.

Mental health care looks different for all of us. These resources are available to UD employees at no cost, to support you in proactively protecting your mental health and finding professional care when you need it. Recovery is possible. You are not alone.

Mental Health Resource Guide

In the event of a mental health crisis, please dial or text 988
Learn more about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

 

Mental Health First Aid Training teaches participants how to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges in adults ages 18 and older, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate care if necessary. Class schedule and registration

Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention Training can help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year. Class schedule and registration

Employee Health & Wellbeing’s yoga series in the Botanical Gardens


Mindfulness and meditation help to support positive mental health by increasing resilience, emotional intelligence and mind/body connection. In addition to the SKY Happiness retreats listed within our wellbeing programs, there are many no-cost resources available to UD employees to support regular practice.

SKY Meditation Retreat is a 9-hour well-being retreat. This retreat is a deep immersion in breathwork and meditation practices, social connection, emotional intelligence and mindful leadership. Research has shown that SKY significantly reduces depression and anxiety while increasing feelings of well-being. Class Schedule and Registration

 

Meditation On-Demand-Use your LinkedIn Learning UD credentials to access no-cost meditation and mindfulness videos

Viva Integration-use Microsoft Teams to add the viva app to your sidebar for access to Headspace meditations + tools to protect your time

Meditation and Prayer Spaces on Campus

Elderly lady and two children

Dependent Care Resources

The University of Delaware understands that locating Child and/or Elder Care can be challenging and time consuming. Our dependent care resource list includes, community lists for camps, care centers and more.

Resource List

Nursing and Lactation

Campus Lactation Room Locations

  • 346 Hullihen Hall
  • 128 Perkins Student Center
  • 214A McDowell Hall
  • 207E Morris Library
  • Tower at STAR, Room 354 (100 Discovery Blvd.), 6 a.m.-6 p.m., parking available in front of building

Lactating Persons in the Workplace Policy

ComPsych Guidance Resources is the administrator for UD’s Employee Assistance Program. This program is available exclusively for UD employees and their dependents. The program offers resources to consult whenever and wherever you need them. Members will have a toll-free number at 877-527-4742 directly for 24/7 access to a GuidanceConsultant®

ComPsych also provides access to a comprehensive website with articles, podcasts, webinars and other helpful tools.  Use “State of Delaware” for the user ID.

  • Confidential Emotional Support
  • Work-Life Solutions: Child and Elder Care, Pet Care, Event Planning and more
  • Legal Guidance
  • Financial Resources
  • Identity Theft Services

Learn More about ComPsych

Whatever your fitness level, these resources help support the physical, emotional and social wellbeing of UD employees through movement and mind/body connection.  

Walktober: UD’s annual 6-week Fall online physical activity challeng. Travel the world virtually, as you accumulate steps/activity minutes, receive weekly wellness tips, and have access to a library filled with healthy recipes. 

The Carpenter Sports Building (Lil Bob): Full-time UD employees and retirees may access the Lil Bob recreation facilities with their UD ID. Misc-wage employees, spouses, visiting scholars and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members may access the Lil Bob for a fee. 

Group Fitness ClassesUnlimited access to group classes like yoga, Pilates and cycling are available to faculty and staff with the purchase of a Campus Recreation Fitness Package ($75 or wellness dollars per year). 

Private group fitness class: schedule a private fitness class for your team through Campus Recreation’s Fitness2U program 

Exercise Counseling: UD’s clinic offers exercise programs that are developed and supervised by Clinical Exercise Physiologists who specialize in developing safe and effective exercise programs.

Fitness Discounts: Exercise equipment, gym memberships and virtual fitness programs are available to all UD faculty and staff. 

Walktober fall scene
weights in the Lil Bob

recognition

Hen High Five

Up high, down low – it's never too late to show your appreciation with a Hen High Five. Why a high five? The high five, which is often used as a gesture of greeting and celebration, is an instantaneous way of telling a person that they are important and deserve to be recognized, which can strengthen connections between colleagues, improve workplace engagement and boost wellbeing for both the giver and recipient. So, what are you waiting for?

 

Send a Hen High Five

Take five to share your appreciation of a colleague!

Congratulations Raffle Winners!

Hen High Five recipients are entered into a monthly raffle for a chance to win $100 (pre-tax). Congrats to these Blue Hens!

View our High Five Winners

November: Mary Lou Moore, Operational Support Agent, Facilities- Maintenance and Operations was high fived by Tonya Ligon  

October: Andrew Brett, Video Producer, IT- UMS was high fived by Sarah Rooney.

September: Melissa Zeissig, Asst. Director, Student Life was High Fived by Melanie Rogalski.

August: Jack David, Asst. AD, Intercollegiate Athletics was High Fived by Jacob Schrum.

July: Krissy Hickman, Talent Acquisition Specialist, HR Recruitment was High Fived by Andrea Young

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Service Recognition

 

The Service Recognition Program honors employee service to the University of Delaware at five year intervals. Employees may select from a special gift collection.

The University honors our recent retirees with a gift from the Retirement Collection.

Visit Service Recognition  

Staff Excellence Awards

 

The Staff Excellence Award program recognizes staff members' contributions to the University of Delaware community with monetary awards. Three individual awards of $2,000 and one team award of $4,000 will be distributed each Fall and Spring to staff who exemplify UD values.

Monetary award levels, a careful selection process and community recognition activities have been developed with consideration of peer institution and UD faculty award best practices in mind. The program will be supported by a diverse committee of UD community members.

Visit Staff Excellence Awards