Managing Work/Life

Harvard is invested in your health, wellness and safety. There are dozens of programs and centers at Harvard dedicated to support your mental and physical health. 

• Harvard Human Resources Work/Life Spring 2023 Calendar and wellbeing resources for Harvard faculty and staff.
• KGA Wellness Calendar
• Harvard Wellness Center Workshops and Classes
• Harvard's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides counseling, online resources and seminars to help with any personal, family, or work-related issue including mental health, drug issues, relationship safety, and more.
• Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) provides urgent care to Harvard staff when injury or illness arises at work.
• Harvard athletic facilities provide annual or semester memberships, with personal trainers, fitness classes, and other offerings.
• Ergonomics tips from Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) help you stay healthy while you work.
• Harvard on the Move is a University-wide initiative to promote physical and psychological wellness through non-competitive weekly walks and runs.
• For further training on recognizing distress in a friend, colleague, student, or even yourself, take this 45-minute training from the Harvard Training Portal

Parenthood and Childcare

Harvard is committed to supporting parents at families at every stage. Available information includes:

• Adoption Resources includes information on the Harvard Adoption Assistance Plan, and a listing of local, state, and national resources.
• Lactation Support includes information on lactation support and related resources at the University.
• Childcare at Harvard contains a wealth of information on childcare options, financial assistance for childcare, schools, and summer camps.

Elder Care/Adult Care

Harvard offers multiple resources that can help faculty and staff plan for and support an elder or other adult. Visit HARVie's Caring for Elders & Other Adults section for information on planning senior care, back-up care, and other resources.

Pet Care

If your pet matters to you, they matter to us. Harvard's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) may be able to help you meet your pet's needs.

Harvard offers pet insurance for cats and dogs through Pets Best. Pets Best offers coverage levels and options to meet your needs, payroll deduction and a 5 percent discount on the BestBenefits Plan. You may use any vet with this plan. You may enroll at any time; enroll by the 15th of the month for coverage beginning the first day of the following month. For plan details and price, and to enroll, call 866-228-3516 or visit CrimsonPersonalPlans.com.

The time you spend at work should not prevent you from attending to your personal responsibilities and interests.  As much as possible, we encourage employees and their managers to work together to customize schedules through flexible work arrangements.

More information and resources on remote working are available on our Remote and Flexwork page.

• The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers free, confidential help for all Harvard employees and their adult household members; this includes postdoctoral fellows. They offer workplace consultation, help with legal and financial issues, assistance with parenting or elder care resources and more. Phone: 877-EAP-HARV or visit the EAP. Call 24/7 to connect to a counselor.
• Harvard Office of Work/Life
  • Resources and Programs
  • Learn to Live: A collection of self-directed online mental health resources based on proven cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles. Learn to Live provides self-assessment tools to identify the thoughts and behaviors at the root of your troubles (Discussed further in the Wellbeing at Harvard Newsletter, September 2022).
• Ombuds Office: “Confidential resource available to anyone from Harvard’s community. A discussion with an Ombuds can help a visitor voice concerns, clarify goals and consider options so that they can make their own best decisions about next steps.” Check out the resources and self-help handouts.
• Harvard University Health Services (HUHS)- 24-hour urgent care - (617) 495-5711
• Harvard University Health Services Behavioral Health which offers onsite, telemedicine visits, and after-hours telephone consultations. Smith Campus Center, 75 Mt. Auburn Street Entrance, 4th Floor, (617) 495-2323
  • Includes groups and referral database for mental health providers
• SHARE (24/7 crisis line): If you are experiencing a crisis and need immediate assistance, SHARE maintains a confidential hotline, (617) 495-9100, which is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by SHARE counselors. You may call the hotline for a wide range of issues, including but not limited to sexual harassment, stalking, domestic violence, dating concerns.
• Office for Gender Equity: uses a multipronged approach to addressing issues of sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct. Individuals may choose to engage in one or more of the offerings provided by the office. These include prevention and education initiatives, support through confidential SHARE counseling, making a disclosure to a Title IX resource coordinator, submitting an anonymous disclosure, or filing a formal complaint. Call (617) 496-0200 or email oge@harvard.edu.
• University Disability Resources: UDR serves as a central resource on disability-related information, procedures and services for the University community and provides expertise in the development, implementation, and acquisition for best and promising disability-related University practices, procedures and resources.
• Chaplain Services: (617) 879-8365, can reach out to individual chaplains and engage in ongoing resources as appropriate.
• Center for Wellness and Health Promotion offers classes, massages, acupuncture, and workshops.