DVIDS – News – DCSA Leaders and Team Building Events Inspire Gatekeepers with ‘Leap to Wellness Day’

What do cornhole, line dancing, family feuds, scavenger hunts, Jenga, nature walks, guessing baby pictures, swapping healthy recipes, chatting over coffee, golf, and board games have in common?

The answer lies in participating in these activities and other Leap to Wellness Day team-building exercises virtually and in-person across the country to relax, recharge, and learn new things related to wellness all at the same time. , including Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) personnel who work knowingly on people’s health conditions. My DCSA colleague got better on February 29th.

“In today’s fast-paced and demanding work environments, it’s easy to get caught up in a never-ending cycle of tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities,” says Salome Smalling, Enterprise Knowledge Management Analyst, DCSA Chief Strategy Office. I said this while looking back on the day’s events. “We need to re-evaluate our approach to work and health. The Wellness Leap Day event reminded us to take a step back and practice self-care. , you’ll have more joy, rest, and balance.”

Wellness information sessions and interactions with the DCSA team and colleagues reflect the agency’s commitment to caring for the well-being of its employees. Gatekeepers connected with each other at various events to review available wellness resources and celebrate the accomplishments of colleagues who live DCSA’s values.

“At DCSA, we are a people-focused, values-driven organization. That is who we are,” said DCSA Acting Director Daniel Lecce. “In the post-corona era of telework and remote work, we can miss important connections. Take time to connect and care for each other. What is your personality? Maintain and practice your values. It’s very important that you do it. Not when people are looking, but when people aren’t looking. That’s your character. Your integrity.”

The day’s events, which included time for an afternoon of regional team-building activities to strengthen relationships, supported the dual purpose of the agency’s Unity of Effort strategic goal.

• Build an integrated institution that operates holistically as a single company.
• Maintain a strong culture of innovation, strong partnerships and inclusion.

“I know how difficult it is to balance health with all the competing demands of work and daily life,” DCSA Chief of Staff Ellen Eardley said of Gatekeeper’s positive experience. “It fosters a sense of well-being, work-life balance, community, camaraderie, and trust in fellow gatekeepers. Wellness is about understanding our purpose and unique role in fulfilling DCSA’s mission. is essential.”

Eardley assured the audience that DCSA’s first Wellness Day and various activities will not end the conversation about wellness, camaraderie, and overall gatekeeper culture.

“This is just a starting point for what we hope to continue throughout this year,” she said. “As we continue to transform our culture, finding the best way to promote health as part of our gatekeeper culture will be an ongoing process.

“This work to build our culture remains a top priority for the agency,” she continued. “A positive Gatekeeper experience will be different for everyone. We want to provide our employees with a sense of well-being and a trusted community. It’s about the big questions of trust, purpose, equity, optimism, and inclusion. Everything you do with DCSA impacts your gatekeeper experience and impacts those around you. It’s the experience of every moment of . It’s tangible and a lot of intangible, the emotions you have when you come to work and interact with people.”

Intangibles such as job satisfaction, accomplishment, workplace optimism, communication, innovation, and engagement are key to gatekeepers’ psychological health, motivation, productivity, collaboration, and teamwork.

Wellness Day kicks off with a two-hour team-building activity followed by a town hall featuring DCSA leaders and hands-on insights into Gatekeeper’s values: Mission, People, Service, Integrity, and Innovation. A video introduction was given by 5 employees.

Employees selected to testify to Gatekeeper about the DCSA values ​​they live are one of 24 people nominated by their supervisor to be given the opportunity to give a 5-minute video speech about their specific Gatekeeper values. He was one of the candidates. “These gatekeeper spotlights are outstanding,” Lecce said. “We chose them to reflect on our values ​​and what they mean to us personally.”

Luke Baxter, Carol Banks, Annalee Smith, Ashley Dalicella, and Sean Lavigne are using a TED talk-style approach to their work in the field, at the National Center for Reliability Assessment, and in the program office. You projected positivity and integrity while explaining how you prioritized your values. workplace.

Events held throughout the day promoted a healthy lifestyle that improved the quality of work life and productivity. Gatekeepers, on the other hand, began or renewed friendships and connections with each other.

One of the 659 employees who provided anonymous feedback said, “We enjoy breakfast together and discuss non-work related topics as well as professional and personal matters as we grow as a field office.” “We discussed ways to better understand our strengths and interests.” Survey after the day’s events. “This was very encouraging. He also played Topgolf for an hour and built great friendships with not only the field office but also the attached field office.”

According to the survey, the agency’s efforts to improve psychological safety and wellness and work-life balance were popular topics of discussion on Wellness Day. Psychological safety is critical to successful teams, according to DCSA Human Capital Management Office (HCMO) leaders Dr. Dana Sims and Dr. Alex Rivera, who spoke about the DCSA Human Capital Management Office (HCMO) during Wellness Day. This is the most important characteristic that can lead to lower turnover rates and increase effectiveness while strengthening health.

They highlight that psychological safety improves team performance because employees feel safe enough to share diverse ideas and perspectives, resulting in better problem-solving and decision-making. Did. They are comfortable with change and uncertainty because the ability to voice concerns and suggestions helps employees cope with change, where flexibility and responsiveness are important in fast-paced and uncertain environments. It added that it would strengthen the ability to cope with the situation.

In relation to psychological safety, Mr. Lecce spoke about the five pillars of health, emphasizing the importance of family health in addition to mental, physical, spiritual and social health. .
“What is health?” he asked, to which he answered: “What is health?” All three are connected. ”

Emotional health involves being self-aware and being able to process emotions constructively. Physical health can be achieved through proper nutrition, physical activity, and flexibility. Spiritual health means finding meaning and purpose in life.

There is also social health, which involves maintaining harmonious relationships with others. Family health concerns strategies to support children and support spouses, partners, or parents while maintaining family health and cohesion.

“We expect a lot from our employees, but they have to take care of their families,” Lecce said. “We all regret things we’ve done because of work. In five years, no one will remember that you worked long hours or worked overtime, but If you missed a party, your kids will remember. If you missed a gymnastics meet, they’ll remember. If you missed a church event, they’ll remember. Nothing is too important that you can’t take time for your family, it should be. This is part of the journey we are talking about when we talk about Mindfulness of Spirit. Your Family and friends are directly involved in this issue and how important it is to us.”