Dumping the Status Quo: Office of Wellbeing Offers Innovative Workshop Series

The exercise is simple but revealing. Write a letter to the status quo. Tell it you’re done, fed up, finished. Maybe it’s those 7 a.m. meetings, or maybe it’s feeling like you have to apologize for thinking outside the box. Regardless, it’s over. You’re breaking up.

“Writing these letters is a creative way of uncovering and framing problems or concerns,” explained Jessica Shand, MD, associate chief wellbeing officer, who uses the exercise in her new Wellbeing by Design workshop series. “Exploring these issues in a fun way leads to more open discussion – and hopefully helps unlock creative solutions.”

Workshop participant Andrea Perkins, MHA, director of Quality Improvement at the Quality Institute,  saw the exercise in action—and the results.

“It encouraged participants to confront personal and professional barriers, such as perfectionism, which sparked meaningful reflection and dialogue,” she said.

Shand’s series, which she began offering on request earlier this year, applies the principles of design thinking to faculty and staff wellbeing. That means taking a human-centered, multi-step approach.

“The resonant adaptation to our work is starting with empathy for the problem,” Shand said. “You use creative tools to put yourself in the mindset of the person you want to help, with design theory providing the structured approach to do so.”

That idea comes through in another of her exercises, which she has dubbed Screw Up Nights or Screw Up Hours. Essentially, they’re an opportunity to share failures, the more spectacular the better. The result? Normalizing mistakes. Removing the shame and stigma. And then learning from what happened.

Shand said she can tailor the workshops to any team across URMC, offering them as either standalone events or incorporating them into existing meetings or retreats.

Along with the Quality Institute, she has so far offered Wellbeing by Design to oncology nurses, pharmacy managers and other groups.

“She’s a tremendously engaging speaker who understands the intricacies of wellbeing and how systems contribute to overall worker health, and her presentation was really well-received by our managers,” said Travis Dick, PharmD, MBA, director of Clinical Pharmacy. “One of the great things about this is that it’s not only an innovative way to address or reframe challenges, but it’s fun, too.”

About 50 pharmacy managers participated in the workshops. They didn’t write breakup letters during the session, but Nicole Dornbush, PharmD, clinical coordinator for specialty pharmacy and chair of Pharmacy’s wellbeing committee, said her team hopes to do so in the future.

“It sounds like a good way to highlight ideas or processes that maybe it’s time to say goodbye to,” she said. “What’s also great about it, and about the Office of Wellbeing’s overall approach, is that it shifts the focus from self-care to systemic work and culture changes.”

For Perkins, the workshops are part of a larger system of support that’s having an increasingly positive impact.

“This support has provided valuable resources and affirmed our shared commitment to fostering a culture of wellbeing, including a teambuilding retreat where we created a beautiful art piece that will be showcased in our office suite,” she said. “The Office of Wellbeing has been an invaluable partner in advancing our mission. Their contributions have enhanced motivation, strengthened teamwork, and inspired a renewed focus on innovation. We look forward to continued collaboration in promoting well-being and quality improvement across our department and organization.”

Chief Wellbeing Officer Craig Rooney, PhD, said he hopes many more teams across URMC will take advantage of Wellbeing by Design.

“Jessica’s creativity and commitment to our faculty and staff really shines through this series,” he said. “And it exemplifies how our office is trying to challenge outdated thinking while supporting one another.”