Harper College is closed on Friday, April 18, for Reading Day.
Work might be a large part of your daily life, but at Harper, we understand that work
is not the only part of your life. For many of us, much of our daily time is spent
at work. According to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that about 1/3
of our lives, or about 90,000 hours, are spent at work.
We know that other parts of your life don’t stop moving when you walk into work. Harper College recognizes that in order to be successful at work it is imperative that you take time to focus on your overall wellness. Harper Wellness is committed to providing staff and faculty with a variety of opportunities to engage in programs and activities to help boost the well-being of all employees both inside and outside of work. We encourage employees to take advantage of the various wellness opportunities and information that are available.
Harper College recently announced that employees are now able to use their professional development (PD) funds to be reimbursed for a membership at the Health and Recreation Center. Any Harper employees that receives yearly professional development funds are eligible to use some or all of those funds to purchase a one-time annual membership at the Health and Recreation Center membership. Currently, this is a pilot program decided by Harper College, and additional changes to the Health and Recreation Center incentive program for employee membership may change. Below are additional details about the incentive:
Membership at the Health and Recreation Center includes access to:
Questions? Please contact Harper Wellness Manager, Beth McPartlin, at eripperg@harpercollege.edu.
It is the policy of Harper College to provide a drug and alcohol free environment and work place as defined by the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994. The College prohibits the possession, use, distribution, dispensing, manufacture and sale of alcohol, cannabis, illegal drugs or controlled substances, as defined under federal law, by students and employees while on College property, in College-owned vehicles, or while participating in any College activity. To access the entire policy, visit the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Policy and Regulations page.
Faculty or staff: If you're a faculty member and you need to cancel class due to a professional or personal conflict, schedule a presentation from Harper Wellness instead of canceling class! Moreover, if you're a staff member, consider scheduling a wellness presentation for one of your upcoming meetings to show your colleagues that wellness is valued and a top priority. Consider these alternatives to allow your students or colleagues to practice their skills and gain knowledge:
To request a program, please complete the Online Request Form.
Don’t see what you’re looking for from the above wellness presentations? We can customize any presentation to fit your group needs. Contact eripperg@harpercolleg.edu with questions.
Harper has partnered with Kognito to provide an interactive role-play simulation training that builds awareness, knowledge, and skills about mental health and suicide prevention and prepares users to lead real-life conversations with students that build resilience, strengthen relationships and connect them with support. Learners interact with Virtual Humans through interactive conversations.
Learning Objectives
Log into the HIP portal to learn more and begin the free training: https://hip.harpercollege.edu/careerbenefits/wellnessliveshere/Pages/default.aspx
Blue Cross Blue Shield Newsletters: BlueCross Blue Shield of Illinois produces a monthly newsletter regarding important health and wellness information. The newsletter provides readers with tips and information that can be beneficial for improving overall wellness and reducing risks. In addition, the newsletters can help you better understand how to utilize all of the services your benefits offer. You can access the most current newsletters below.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Membership Wellness Discounts: Blue Cross Blue Shield members have access to a wide variety of health and wellness
discounts including gym memberships, fitness equipment, nutrition and meal services,
personal care and many other products and services. Check your eligibility and gain
access to hundreds of discounts.
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Employee Assistance Program (EAP): The purpose of our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), provided by Workplace Solutions, is to support our staff as they go about the business of providing the highest level
of instruction and service to our students, community and to ourselves.
Studies have shown that individuals can spend up to 14–16 hours trying to locate the
best resources to meet their personal needs. This can include resources related to
Family and Caregiving, Emotional Well-being, Health and Wellness and Legal/Financial.
Harper College offers a benefit designed to give employees back the gift of time.
In order to log into the Workplace Solutions website to better understand the various
benefits available to Harper employees, please visit the WorkplaceSolutions website. To log into the website for the Employee Services page, you will need to enter in
the access code: harper (all lowercase letters)
Workplace Solutions newsletters: Workplace Solutions also produces a monthly newsletter called, Wellness Matters. The
newsletters feature many free wellness webinars and other materials that are available
to Harper Employees. You can access the most current newsletters below.
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Employee Wellness Benefits package: For additional information about Harper Benefits, please log into the Harper Intranet
Portal (HIP) and visit the Benefits page.
Parenting and caregiving can be some of the most rewarding experiences in life. However, the responsibilities are not easy and the role can lead to feelings of stress, overwhelm, worry, anxiety, and other strong emotions at times. As a parent and/or caregiver, it is so important to prioritize your own wellbeing, so that you have the energy and ability to continue to care for your loved ones. Workplace Solutions, your Employee Assistance Program, has a wealth of resources that you can leverage for support and guidance.
Confidential Counseling
Our team of caring mental health professionals will assess to better understand the
nature of your concerns and what support would be most appropriate and helpful. From
there, they can present the best options available to meet your needs, including consultation,
short-term counseling through the EAP, and/or referrals for long-term care through
your insurance.
Work-Life Solutions
Trying to find resources can be time consuming and overwhelming. We can help you locate
information, resources, and referrals including but not limited to childcare (daycare
centers, family daycares, nanny agencies, etc.), elder care (assisted living, skilled
nursing, adult daycares, companion programs, etc.), caregiver resources (respite care,
transportation services for healthcare appts, support groups, etc.), daily living
(cleaning/housekeeping, lawn maintenance, meal preparation services, etc.), and other
childcare and elder care programs (federal resources, state-level resources, etc.).
Legal-Financial Solutions
Access to a free consultation and/or referrals to an attorney or financial counselor
to address a broad range of topics such as power of attorney, health care advocate,
will preparation, and budgeting.
Web Portal
Our website contains a wealth of resources including tip sheets, articles, webinars
on demand, LifeSpeak well-being platform, Aware Mindfulness Channel and more. To access
the web portal, go to www.wseap.com and enter access code harper.
Quicken WillMaker and Trust
Quicken WillMaker & Trust is a convenient way to create your own legally valid estate
plan. It provides every basic estate planning document, tailored to the laws of your
state. As part of your benefit, a download of this software is available through the
EAP website at no cost to you.
WINFertility
Workplace Solutions partners with WPO and WINFertility, WIN is here to support you
on your path to parenthood with comprehensive and inclusive family-building benefits.
To learn more, visit https://www.winfertility.com/wpo or call 855-255-7196.
Get tax support and preparation help through Workplace Solutions
For the 2025 tax preparation season, your EAP (Workplace Solutions) website offers you and your family TaxSlayer - an online tool for easy tax preparation and filing. TaxSlayer provides DIY tax filing options so you can file your federal and state taxes for free or at a low-cost, depending on the type of support you want. TaxSlayer offers a 100% accuracy guarantee on their calculations and will reimburse customers for any federal or state penalties or interest charges resulting from an error in TaxSlayer’s calculations. Log on and get started!
LifeSpeak On Demand is a health, wellness and professional development platform which gives you and your family members instant access to expert advice on all kinds of topics.
Your LifeSpeak library includes over 1,000 videos on topics that affect your life
every day.
• Stress mastery
• Couples relationships
• Healthy eating
• Having difficult conversations with confidence
• Caring, coping and not collapsing
• Raising cooperative and responsible children
• Anxiety disorders
Sleep issues, weight management, having tough conversations, raising teens… it’s all here. You can watch videos, download action plans, and interact with world-class experts in real time. LifeSpeak is available anywhere and anytime and is 100% confidential. You’ll find what you need to know so you can do what you want to do.
In order to log into access LifeSpeak resources, please visit the WorkplaceSolutions website. To log into the website for the Employee Services page, you will need to enter in the access code: harper (all lowercase letters)
Taking care of yourself is one of the most important things you can do for your overall well-being. Self-care isn't just about treating yourself; it's about making thoughtful choices that support your physical and emotional health. In the workplace, prioritizing health and safety not only benefits each employee, but it also creates a more productive environment for everyone.