Wi15 Education Session to Detail How to Establish a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Booksellers can sign up now to attend the advanced education session “Work-Life Balance for Managers and Owners,” which will be held on Wednesday, January 22, at 3:35 p.m. at the 15th annual Winter Institute (Wi15). Pre-registration is required.

This session will be led by Jeannie A.S. Nigam, MS, PHDc, a research psychologist and advisor to the Total Worker Health® program at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Nigam also served as an editor for the American Psychological Association’s 2019 title Total Worker Health.

“The American Psychological Association is thrilled to partner with the ABA on the important topic of bookseller mental health,” said APA Books Marketing Director Jason M. Wells. “Jeannie is an expert in the field who will start the conversation and offer takeaways that booksellers can bring back to their stores.”

During the Winter Institute session, Nigam will provide a brief overview of NIOSH and its programs, including Healthy Work Design and Well-Being; define stress and what it is about work that causes stress; connect how work relates to health and well-being; and discuss work-life conflict and how to balance work demands and life outside of work.

In retail work, Nigam told Bookselling This Week, there are many factors that are related to stress, including the shift to online sales; reduced staffing; heavy lifting; long hours and standing, which can lead to overexertion and musculoskeletal disorders; and more. According to Harvard researchers, 42 percent of retail workers report that their jobs have a negative effect on their stress level, and data from NIOSH’s Quality of WorkLife survey shows that about 20 percent of the workforce often to always experiences work-life conflict. 

Said Nigam, “I’m looking forward to sharing resources and practical considerations for reducing work-life stress, improving work design, and promoting worker well-being by incorporating principles of Total Worker Health in the management of retail work.” 

Nigam will also define what Total Worker Health means, and how booksellers can use this comprehensive approach to design work in a healthy fashion while considering the needs and demands placed on individuals outside of work, as well those demands that emanate through work design and interpersonal interactions in the workplace. Bookseller attendees will be provided with resources for more information on the subject.

Register now for “Work-Life Balance for Managers and Owners.” Note: this session was originally scheduled to take place on Friday, January 24, but will be held instead on Wednesday, January 22. Winter institute will take place January 21–24, 2020, at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. Questions about Winter Institute can be directed to [email protected].