Employment Opportunity and Training Center (EOTC)

Employment Opportunity and Training Center (EOTC)
 

Comfort Items Project

http://www.eotcworks.org/
EOTC provides parent-child education and workforce services in the Lackawanna County area focusing on promoting family stability and economic self-sufficiency.

Healthy Workplace Grant Overview:

For its Healthy Workplace grant, each employee at EOTC selected a comfort item to integrate into their workspace. These items included lumbar supports, wrist rests, vertical mice and desk lamps. EOTC also purchased an elliptical and hand weights that all employees can utilize.
 
Renee Arledge, Operations Director at EOTC, remarked how quickly the idea gained momentum. "When we first found out about the opportunity, it's like a light bulb went on," she said. "Yes, our staff works hard. Yes, we should see what would make them the most happy and healthy in our work environment."
 
Once items arrived, Renee saw changes for the better throughout the office.
"I see staff sitting with their desk lamps on and not squinting to see the work. Others are working at their desk and not rubbing their shoulders because they now have a warm shoulder wrap. Overall, I see a group of hardworking people more relaxed and happy," she explained.
 

Why We Support This Work:

Our support of EOTC's Comfort Items Project promotes a healthier, more productive work environment for all of its employees by providing practical items on an individual basis. 
 

How You Can Make It Happen*:

  • Ask your staff for feedback of what would make them happier and healthier around the office.
  • It's important to encourage staff to stand up and move for about five minutes every hour. Too much time spent sitting can cause a lot of aches and pains.
  • Here's some proactive suggestions we can all take up:
    • Take a short stroll around your department a few times a day, or visit coworkers instead of emailing or calling. 
    • Skip the elevator, and even try taking steps two at a time every other flight.
    • Stand whenever you can, even at your desk. Keeping good posture and practicing deep breathing every so often can strengthen your core muscles, lower your heart rate and even help you relax.
*Special thanks to the University of Scranton Center for Health Education & Wellness for their contributions.

Scranton Primary Health Care Centers

Scranton Primary Health Care Centers

Inspired by the initiative; Fresh Fruit Thursdays

Joseph Hollander, Executive Director at The Clinics at Scranton Primary Health Care Center, was inspired by the Healthy Workplace initiative process even though his organization did not receive a grant to launch his idea. Every Thursday, fresh fruit is delivered to the Clinics' office for the employees to grab at their leisure. They have recently received apples and Abate pears.

Healthy Workplace Breakfast

Healthy Workplace Initiative kickoff breakfast for grantees

Third Quarter Grants Announced

2016/2017 Third Quarter Grants Announced

Click here to read the email blast of general Foundation and Healthy Workplace grants that were announced for the third quarter of 2016/2017.

Grantees Announced

Grantees were announced for the Healthy Workplace Initiative

The Happy Healthy Nonprofit

The Moses Taylor Foundation
 

The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit: Strategies for Impact Without Burnout

Click here to read more about this book.

Announcement Email

The Moses Taylor Foundation
 

Initial Announcement Email

Click here to read the initial announcement email blast.

Inspiration for the Healthy Workplace Initiative

The Moses Taylor Foundation
 

Our Inspiration for the Healthy Workplace Initiative:

The Moses Taylor Foundation completed reading a recent article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy that asserted "Doing Good Requires Happier, Healthier Workers.” We discussed knowing that grantees are often so focused on meeting community needs that they don't have the time or resources to invest in themselves. But the health of the people who serve our community is critical to the health of our community. In the spirit of New Year's resolutions, we set on a quest to issue a request for proposal (RFP) to local organizations to challenge them to think creatively about small investments that could be made to promote the health and well-being of the grantee’s team.