Exercise and Health Activity Policy
Effective Date: November 5, 2014
Board Approval: November 5, 2014
1. Purpose
1.1. The Tooele Technical College (TTECH) recognizes that the beneficial effects of regular exercise and other health related activities, such as routine checkups and participation in health fairs, is well documented. Such activities can be a significant factor in preventing disease, lowering stress, improving one’s mental state and outlook on life, as well as improving the general quality of life. In the job setting, this equates to greater productivity and reduced absenteeism. Therefore, this policy is established to encourage participation in activities that promote a healthy lifestyle by employees.
2. Policy
2.1. General. TTECH encourages all employees engage in a regular program of health and wellness activities leading to personal health.
2.2. Release Time. Employees may be granted up to 30 minutes a day for a maximum of three (3) days per week to participate in approved health and wellness activities. Employees may be authorized for
additional release time annually to attend Healthy Utah assessments and workshops.
2.3. Exercise Schedule. Participation in this program should normally be accomplished during an extension of the lunch period or at the beginning or end of the workday. Exceptions can be granted on a case-by-case basis to allow an employee to take the exercise break during a time that does not impact their work duties.
2.4. Approval. Employees who wish to participate in this program will complete an Exercise and Health
Activity Agreement Form (attached) and obtain the designated authorizations. Approval of the
agreement is subject to the following guidelines:
2.4.1. Employees are encouraged to seek medical advice regarding the type and vigor of their proposed exercise program.
2.4.2. This agreement must be approved in advance, and is to be signed by the employee and the
employee’s immediate supervisor. Signed agreements will be reviewed by the Vice President. The
signed exercise agreement must be maintained in the employee’s personnel file, and must be
renewed annually during June for the following fiscal year.
2.4.3. The exercise agreement must outline the program to be followed and the general days and times that it would be accomplished.
2.4.4. Exercise time is time is not cumulative. Time not used during the week cannot be carried over into another week.
2.4.5. Authorization to participate in this program may be revoked if the provisions of this program are violated, including repeated violations of the basic intent of the program which is to adopt a regular program of exercise to enhance and improve physical conditioning.
2.4.5.1. Authorization to participate in this program will be revoked if it interferes with an employee’s ability to accomplish work assignments in a timely and accurate manner.
2.4.5.2. Authorization to participate in this program will be revoked if the employee is placed on an employee plan for improvement, but may be reauthorized after successful completion of the corrective action plan.
3. Procedure
3.1. Only full-time employees are authorized to participate in this program.
3.2. To ensure the department does not incur overtime costs unnecessarily, participation in this program may be temporarily suspended on weeks when an employee is working overtime. Supervisors are expected to manage the workload in their department and authorize participation in this program in a manner that maintains the required duties and functions of the department.
3.3. Employees assume all risks associated with participating in the exercise program. Injuries incurred as a result of this activity will not be considered a work-related injury for purposes of workers compensation benefits.
3.4. Employees are urged to attend other health improvement activities including health assessment
workshops such as Healthy Utah, Stress management seminars, smoking cessation and weight control
programs. Supervisors are encouraged to provide flexible scheduling and opportunities for employ9ees to attend such programs.