University of Utah Health employees participated in the Resiliency Center’s 2026 Joy in Work Foundations Course on September 22, 2026, according to a October 28 report.
The event focused on addressing burnout and enhancing workplace engagement, fostering connection, building resilience, and improving well-being among staff members.
Keynote speakers Amy Locke, MD, Chief Wellness Officer, and Smitha Warrier, MD, Chief Surgical Operations Officer, shared experiences regarding bridging connection, joy, and purpose in demanding work environments.
Dr. Warrier noted that the average work week was 110 hours when she graduated medical school in 2004. She encouraged healthcare employees to create fun and connection within their teams, mentioning her practice of using music during surgery to foster camaraderie.
During the event, attendees watched a screening of Kurt Sowles’ Made Better By You video, which highlighted his work as a nursing manager at Huntsman Mental Health Institute. Following the video, participants engaged in a gratitude initiative using miniature red chairs and thank you cards.
Participants were asked to write thank you notes to team members and encouraged others to pass the red chair forward as a chain of gratitude. Some attendees also recorded themselves expressing gratitude for colleagues while seated in red chairs.
The event provided tools and strategies to help employees recognize existing support systems and implement small, manageable changes to improve work-life balance. Dr. Locke suggested that small changes made together can create a significant impact.
According to Emily Bleyl, a wellbeing specialist in the Resiliency Center and the Joy in Work program manager through the Osher Center for Integrative Health, the event provides concrete tools and models to enhance the application of small initiatives within teams to improve resilience.
The University of Utah Health Joy in Work Facilitator Training Program is available for employees wishing to become champions for well-being. This year-long experience teaches facilitators to listen to colleagues, identify barriers to well-being, and use improvement strategies to create sustainable change through workplace projects supported by the University of Utah Resiliency Center.
