PULLMAN, Wash. – The Work Life Advisory Committee promotes a work life balance for those in the Washington State University community, in part by hosting lunchtime brown bag sessions for employees, students and the public.
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Michele Larrow speaks to faculty about breast cancer
at the Oct. 3 brown bag session
(Photo by Kaylee Ray, WSU News Intern) |
Work life is basically what it sounds like, said Adam Williams, chair of the Work Life Advisory Committee (WLAC): “It’s a new trend toward not working yourself to death.”
It’s about finding the right median between your life outside of work and your job so you become happier and more productive at work, Williams said, adding that the concept isn’t very well known in academia. A work life balance is more highly promoted in corporate America, which has large work life programs and big social nights.
Because WSU is a state institution, he said, WLAC operates with volunteers and without a budget to sponsor large events.
“We really try to utilize our resources,” he said. “That’s our people here, our academics and our expertise.”
Each month the committee hosts brown bag sessions during the lunch hour. The purpose is to allow people to relax and learn something from someone else’s expertise, he said.
Speakers “get joy out of sharing their expertise and passion with everyone else in the community,” he said.
The sessions used to be once a month, but this year the committee wants them more frequently. Each month will have a theme, and WLAC will work to book more than one presentation per month, Williams said.
“This way, we get to meet more people’s needs. We get to broaden our reach,” he said.
October is Work Life Awareness month, and there will be one presentation each week that fits with the month’s “social” theme. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the first session highlighted that with a presentation from Michele Larrow, a licensed psychologist working with WSU’s counseling services and a recent breast cancer survivor.
The committee has a hard time reaching out to students, Williams said, because without funding, advertising is difficult. The committee uses WSU Announcements, but very few students have signed up to receive those emails.
Williams said feedback from the community is important to the committee for deciding on future brown bag topics.
The next October session will be 12:10-12:50 p.m. Wednesday, Oct.10, in Lighty 405. Palouse Area Therapeutic Horsemanship Director Sue Jacobson will talk about the program and the volunteer opportunities available. For more information and a schedule of brown bag sessions, visit http://worklife.wsu.edu.