OT students assess campus ergonomics, improve workplace wellness

OT students in a lab / photo by Darin Kamnetz

Through a faculty-supervised fieldwork experience, occupational therapy (OT) students are improving workplace wellness at the University of Minnesota. Started in 2021, the program has served over 70 University employees by partnering with the University’s Wellbeing Program, which credits members for utilizing resources and making decisions that improve their overall health and wellbeing. Campus community members can earn points toward their wellbeing goals while OT students get an opportunity for real life experience. 

“They work with real clients on setting their goals and helping them work towards improved occupational performance,” said Dr. Michael Jensen, assistant professor in OT and course director of the workplace wellness initiative. 

The workplace wellness program consists of four stages; first, OT students conduct an occupational assessment, learning about the employee’s role and the wellness goals they’re aiming to achieve. 

“We've had clients focus on increasing physical activity at work, eating healthier throughout the workday, stress management, increasing leisure or social participation in their daily routines, sleep hygiene, mindfulness, and work-life balance,” said Jensen.

Then, the students help participants fuel internal motivation and understand the science behind habit formation. By the third session, they’re focusing on how to sustainably maintain those habits. Finally, students complete an in-office ergonomic assessment, offering suggestions customized to the individual’s needs. 

Jensen said feedback from OT students who worked in the initiative has indicated a positive educational experience. While there’s not a formal client feedback form, Jensen authored a qualitative research study published in WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation in 2024 about clients’ experiences and workplace wellness within the context of occupational therapy. 

In the research article, “The occupational therapy process in workplace wellness: A qualitative study of client experience,” Jensen discussed findings from interviews with six participants in the workplace wellness program. According to his findings, “all six participants experienced a positive change in their overall wellness through the development of new habits and routines which proved to be both sustained and, in some cases, generalized to areas beyond the workplace.” For instance, a participant targeting poor time management found that their newfound workplace strategies also began taking hold in their personal life. Another participant implemented the suggestions from their ergonomic assessment into their home office, too. Six weeks after completing the program, Jensen found that participants had sustained their new habits; according to the article, they also confirmed that “the occupational therapy process through which the workplace wellness program was delivered was integral to their overall experience and wellness gains.

“Industries spend a lot of money on workplace wellness with really mixed results and there's really no set of best practices— who provides it, what should be provided, or what works and what doesn't,” Jensen said. “Occupational therapy doesn't have a significant place in the sphere, so between doing this and doing research on it we’re really trying to build our presence in workplace wellness.”