Losing someone or something that you love and care about can be very painful. Managing your emotional wellbeing after a great loss can be a difficult journey. The Idaho Department of Correction cares deeply about you; our staff are family. Everyone grieves differently and has different needs during a period of grief and loss.

Grief is a natural response to loss. The death of a loved one is often the cause of grief, but any loss can trigger grief including:

• Death of a coworker
• A coworker's illness
• Divorce or relationship breakup
• Loss of health
• Losing a job
• Loss of financial stability
• Retirement
• A miscarriage
• Death of a pet
• Loss of a cherished dream
• Loss of safety after trauma
• Selling the family home

The Idaho Department of Correction seeks to provide support and resources to staff who are experiencing grief and loss. If there is anything we can do to help you in your personal situation, please reach out to Human Resources or the Employee Assitance Program.

Much of our time is spent at work and as a result we development relationships with those who work alongside of us. When a coworker becomes sick or passes away it can have a large effect on their work group and the sense of loss can be significant.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to assist you during these times.

The Idaho Department of Correction seeks to protect employee confidentiality during these times, so medical information about employees should not be shared without the employee's permission. It is natural to want to help and gather people around to provide support and services for our cherished coworker, but we also want to make sure we maintain confidentiality and be mindful that we are not sharing more than what the employee is comfortable sharing. If the employee does not indicate they are comfortable with updates being provided about their health situation, only a manager or human resources should be involved in providing that communication.

We can provide support by discussing with the employee what might be beneficial for them and checking in periodically to see how they are doing and if we can help them out in any way. Some employees may need assistance with meals and other tasks. Assistance for employees is always voluntary.

Your HR Rep is happy to provide a listening ear to you if you are struggling with the illness and/or the absence of a coworker due to his or her illness. Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can also provide professional resources for helping you cope with the grief and loss associated with your coworker's illness.

Much of our time is spent at work and as a result we development relationships with those who work alongside of us. When a coworker becomes sick or passes away it can have a large effect on their work group and the sense of loss can be significant.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to assist you during these times.

The Idaho Department of Correction seeks to protect employee confidentiality during these times, so medical information about employees should not be shared without the employee's permission. It is natural to want to help and gather people around to provide support and services for our cherished coworker, but we also want to make sure we maintain confidentiality and be mindful that we are not sharing more than what the employee is comfortable sharing. If the employee does not indicate they are comfortable with updates being provided about their health situation, only a manager or human resources should be involved in providing that communication.

We can provide support by discussing with the employee what might be beneficial for them and checking in periodically to see how they are doing and if we can help them out in any way. Some employees may need assistance with meals and other tasks. Assistance for employees is always voluntary.

Your HR Rep is happy to provide a listening ear to you if you are struggling with the illness and/or the absence of a coworker due to his or her illness. Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can also provide professional resources for helping you cope with the grief and loss associated with your coworker's illness.

We all spend much of our time at work and coworkers are a huge part of that. Employees build relationships with other staff so the death of a coworker can be as devastating as losing a loved one. This is both a professional and personal loss for each of us, our Department and the law enforcement community.

Management
It's important for managers to recognize the impact the death has had on staff. Compassionate managers will find that employees benefit from caring, flexibility and respect for their pain. Here are some ideas from ComPsych for things managers can do to assist employees who are struggling with the loss of a coworker:

• Encourage employees to express their feelings.
• Provide an "open door" policy to all staff who wish to speak about their grief.
• Encourage employees to seek outside support, including the use of the company's Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Be on the lookout for a coworker who is having a particularly difficult time.
• Arrange a workplace memorial service to honor the departed employee(s).
• If the business permits, offer flex time and working at home options so that employees have time to grieve.
• Be compassionate to coworkers who may be experiencing a decline in productivity and a difficult time coping.

Employees
A coworker's death can be devastating for surviving employees. Everyone grieves differently; some coworkers may want to discuss the issue, while others may want to grieve privately. There are several ways ComPsych suggests employees try to cope with their grief:

• Plan a memorial service for the departed coworker.
• Be on the lookout for a coworker who is having a particularly difficult time.
• Be compassionate to fellow coworkers who may be experiencing a decline in productivity and a difficult time coping.
• If there is a new hire who is occupying the job (and possibly the desk) of the departed employee, accept and welcome this person.
• Arrange to go to the funeral and support each other.
• Plan social outings as a group to help morale.

This information is brought to us by ComPsych, our EAP provider from their Grief in the Workplace Help Sheet. More information about coping with grief in the work place can be found at www.guidanceresources.com or by contacting EAP.

Suicide in corrections is a serious issue. One that needs more attention and more awareness. The field of corrections itself is a unique work environment, so it only makes sense that the employees that work in that industry would face some very unique stressors that you won't find in any other profession. Those stressors, if not processed and dealt with properly and in a healthy way can lead to depression, PTSD, and other mental health issues among staff. Those issues may even lead to an employee having suicidal thoughts or feelings. This page is here to provide help to correction staff, friends, or family members who have questions or concerns about suicide, its causes, prevention tactics, and other resources.

Suicide in Corrections: How to help when someone you know might be thinking about suicide contains information and ways to help a fellow staff member that may be thinking about suicide.

The Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline provides crisis intervention, emotional support, problem solving and referrals to local resources for persons at risk for suicide and for those concerned about them.

Need Help Now?? Call 1-800-273-8255 to talk with a volunteer phone worker who can offer support and help you or your loved one right away. For more information pertaining to Suicide Prevention: www.idahosuicideprevention.org/#&panel1-1

Related News and Links

• The Huffington Post: Hard Time: Correctional Officer Suicide Rate Rivals That Of Vietnam Vets
• In Public Safety: Are You Suffering from Burnout?

Mental wellbeing is essential to an overall healthy lifestyle. The Idaho Department of Correction has the following resources for employees to assist in promoting healthy mental wellbeing. Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a benefit to all staff and includes counseling and online resources that can help with emotional, family and other mental health services.

Suicide Prevention

Suicide Prevention
Information on suicide prevention. resources, and links.

Grief

Losing someone or something that you love and care about can be very painful. Managing your emotional wellbeing after a great loss can be a difficult journey. The Idaho Department of Correction cares deeply about you; our staff are family. Everyone grieves differently and has different needs during a period of grief and loss.

Grief is a natural response to loss. The death of a loved one is often the cause of grief, but any loss can trigger grief including:

• Death of a coworker
• A coworker's illness
• Divorce or relationship breakup
• Loss of health
• Losing a job
• Loss of financial stability
• Retirement
• A miscarriage
• Death of a pet
• Loss of a cherished dream
• Loss of safety after trauma
• Selling the family home

The Idaho Department of Correction seeks to provide support and resources to staff who are experiencing grief and loss. If there is anything we can do to help you in your personal situation, please reach out to Human Resources or the Employee Assitance Program.

Helpful Links

• State of Idaho Grief Handout
• Grief in the Workplace

 

Stress

A career in corrections is exciting and rewarding but with the rewards come challenges. Stress and corrections fatigue are struggles correctional professionals face througout their career. If you are struggling with stress or burnout in your job, you may find it helpful to reach out to your supervisor, HR Rep and/or EAP.

Here are some online resources you may find helpful if you are interested in learning more about stress:

• Handling Stress at work
• Handling Corrections Fatigue

PTSD

For Information on PTSD click on the following:

• What is PTSD
• How to recognize PTSD
• PTSD Symptoms
• Preventing a PTSD Relapse
• How leaders can recognize and handle corrections fatigue

Coping with Divorce

Separation and divorce can be one of most painful and stressful experiences that a person will ever face. It's a confusing time and you may have lots of questions about issues you've never even considered. DivorceCare groups are available to help you. For more information on DivorceCare and how it can help you, visit www.divorceCare.org.

• HEALTH MATTERS - A State Employee Wellness plan. The website offers information on local events, tools and tips for a healthy life, upcoming classes, and so much more!!
• GET HEALTHY - Information and links to resources offered through the Office of Group Insurance

Tools and Resources for Achieving Your Financial Goals

• Member Identity Protection Services - Blue Cross of Idaho has partnered with AllClear ID to offer enrolled members and their families identity protection services at NO COST to the member or the plan.
• Financial Education Webinars - Montana State University partners with other State Universities and organizations to provide a program called Solid Finances. It is a series of free financial education webinars. The webinars are designed to empower you to take control of your finances by improving your knowledge of personal finance topics.
• Idaho Personal Finance - Be money savvy! The University of Idaho Extension provides educational programs, resources and tools on a variety of financial topics, such as how to reduce debt, estimating your retirement needs, creating a budget, and protecting yourself against identity theft, just to name a few.
• Blue Extras - Discounts on fitness clubs, baby and maternity, vision services and much more for Blue Cross Members. You will have to login to your account to see the discounts available.
• Cell Phone Rates Discounts - Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint offer discounts for State of Idaho Employees ranging from 15% to 18%. Contact your carrier's billing department for more information and instructions on how to get your discount!
• Happenings - Discounts on local attractions and events like tickets to Roaring Springs and Wahooz, shows at AEN Playhouse in Boise, and more!
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness - (PSLF) Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer.
• Net Pay Calculator - State of Idaho employees can use the Net Pay Calculator to estimate the impact of a change to pay rate, hours worked, deductions, withholdings, and/or taxes may have on their take home pay. You will need to login to the State Controller's Office site and click Net Pay Calculator. The form will autofill with your pay and deduction information.
  • Net Pay Calculator Instructions
• Cost Advisor - A tool provided from Blue Cross of Idaho that provides you an estimate of what your insurance covers and what you may pay out-of-pocket for physician, hospital and other healthcare costs. Login to see what you pay based on your plan.

With the New Year comes new plans, fresh starts, and new goals! Sometimes, even though we set out with

With the New Year comes new plans, fresh starts, and new goals! Sometimes, even though we set out with the best of intentions, those goals and plans that start with a fire, begin to smolder, or go out completely. We wanted to highlight some goals/resolutions and helpful ways to stay on track to achieve them!!

GET FIT/ EAT HEALTHIER

• State Employee Fitness Club Discounts
  Blue Cross of Idaho provides discounts to state employees to select gyms and fitness clubs
• 5 Tips to Achieve Your New Year's Fitness Goals
  Active.com provides tips to keeping your fitness goals as well as information on local fitness events. You can search your community for upcoming events/activities to get you out and moving!
• Resources for Healthy Eating
  For most of us, eating healthier is easier said than done. greatist.com lists fantastic resources from blogs on healthy eating, to apps that allow you to track your food, to healthy/fresh food locators. There is bound to be something here that will help you keep yourself on track!

QUIT SMOKING

• Free tobacco cessation counseling is offered through the Idaho Quitline (1-800-Quit Now). For a $10 Copayment, the program provides pharmaceutical quit aids to tobacco users who enroll in the program. Visit https://projectfilter.org/ for more information.
• Get support on your journey from QuitAssist.

GET OUT OF DEBT/ SAVE MONEY/ SPEND LESS

• Financial Wellness – Check out the IDOC web page that offers multiple financial resources and information to help you achieve your financial goals
• 35 Things You Can Do Right Away To Start Spending Less Money – Everyday tips from everyday people that can help you start saving money now!
• Reduce Waste and Save Money – Double win! Check out this site for ways to help the environment and your wallet at the same time!

SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY

• 30 ways to spend more time with family - From your children, to your teens, to your parents and extended family.
• Idaho Events – getting out and experiencing local events as a family is a great way to connect with one another and your community
  • Boise Weekly Events Calendar
  • Idaho Calendar of Events
  • KTVB Events Page
• Take a trip, without breaking the bank! – You don’t have to go far for adventure! Load up the family and check out some of the amazing things Idaho has to offer. This site showcases activities and things to see in 72 Idaho cities and destinations, plus many Idaho border towns!  

GET BETTER SLEEP

• 14 natural sleep remedies – Easy and natural remedies to help you get the sleep you need.
• Fall Asleep in 60 Seconds! – Using the 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise designed by a Harvard-trained Medical Doctor.

KEEPING YOUR GOALS

• Sticking to your Goals – 10 simple strategies
• SMART Goals Worksheet – Keep your goals on track with this printable worksheet

You can access timely and expert information on many different topics such as relationships, work, school, children, wellness, legal, financial budgeting and planning. You can search for qualified child and elder care, attorneys and financial planners as well as take self-assessments. With this service, you will have access to a confidential Lifebook, an online notebook where you can save articles.

To access online resources visit www.guidanceresources.com and enter your company ID: SOIEAP

When accessing the website you will be required to register and create an account by following these steps:

1. Visit www.guidanceresources.com
2. Select the "register" icon
3. Complete your profile information
4. Complete your registration personalization
5. Now you are ready to access all the information the website has to offer!