Make Your Meetings More Active

  • Include items on your meeting agenda that require participants to get out of their seats (breakout groups, stand and write ideas on an easel).
  • Choose movement friendly meeting locations (walkable neighborhoods, on-site gym, nearby park).
  • Hire a professional instructor (pilates, yoga, tai chi, stretching, Zumba) to lead a class before or during the meeting.
  • Point out the stairs and encourage attendees to use them. Consider including the location of stairs in meeting directions or putting arrows to the stairs in front of elevators.
  • Organize a group walk early in the morning, during a break or before/after dinner.
  • Consider incorporating standing ovations after each speaker to encourage participants to stand and stretch.

Standing Breaks

  • At least once an hour, participants should be encouraged to stand up to improve blood circulation, boost metabolism, and relieve physical discomfort from sitting for prolonged periods of time.
  • Announce that it is fine to stand up and move around, as needed. If possible, provide raised tables for those electing to stand during the meeting.

Stretch Breaks

  • Stretch breaks help participants wake up their bodies and minds.
  • Encourage people to stand up and stretch in place.
  • Try playing a Healthy UC Davis WakeBreak video! These instructor-led stretch videos range from 4 to 15 minutes. 

Breathing Exercise

  • Focused breathing is an energizing activity that can help relax and clear your mind. Simply inhale for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds.

Suggested Activity Agendas

LENGTH OF MEETINGSTANDING BREAKSTRETCH BREAKSBREATHING BREAKSMOVEMENT BREAKSWALKING BREAKS
50 - 60 minx x  
2 - 4 hoursxxxx 
All Dayxxxxx

Update: Employee Experience Survey Progress

It’s been nearly a month since we shared the 2025 Employee Experience Survey results.

We want to thank you again for participating and providing honest and meaningful feedback.

Your voice matters, helping UC Davis and UC Davis Health become even better places to work, learn and provide care. We also know from your feedback that many employees are uncertain whether survey results will lead to meaningful action.

We want to assure you that progress is already underway, building on several significant improvements from recent years.

Employee Experience Survey png
Review scores and resources at hr.ucdavis.edu/experience
What’s happened so far:
  • Hundreds of supervisors have attended our webinars, taken our online training, and downloaded resources to better understand team results and employee feedback. We advised supervisors to spend this past month focusing on interpreting results and using the many available resources to engage their teams.
  • Our Employee Experience Network—made up of representatives from across both campuses—has been meeting to discuss enterprise-wide results and share ideas for action that can be applied from the top down or the bottom up. It’s a chance for employees at every level to shape improvements, and you’re welcome to join.
  • Leaders across the university and health system are requesting access to results, demonstrating clear interest in acting on your feedback.
  • Human Resources is carefully reviewing the written comments you provided to elevate key issues and engage high-level leaders.
  • Chancellor May and Provost Croughan created an Employee Experience Campus Advisory Committee, which expanded to UC Davis Health this year. These groups are meeting to review survey feedback and advise leadership on ways to improve the employee experience.
What you can do:
  • Review the enterprise-wide results posted on the Employee Experience Survey website.
  • Ask your supervisor about your team’s results and, if needed, remind them of the tools available — including an on-demand e-course, a recorded webinar, and upcoming action labs. Supervisors are the only ones with access to their team’s specific responses, and only teams with 5 or more responses have unit-level data to view.
  • Consider joining our Employee Experience Network, where you can learn more about survey results and share your own ideas for action in a supportive environment.


Your feedback has set this important process in motion and we are committed to continuing this work with you. Thank you for your participation and for helping us create a stronger employee experience at UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

Sincerely,

Employee Experience Team
emp-experience@ucdavis.edu 

Primary Category

Learning & Development

Tags

learning