Viewing archives for Dr. George Ward

Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve and George Ward

Most of us spend a third of our waking lives at work. Work shapes our schedules, relationships, identities, and economies – but is it actually making us happy?

This crucial question is explored in depth by leading Oxford researchers George Ward and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, who provide the richest, most comprehensive picture of workplace wellbeing yet.

In Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters, the authors clarify what workplace wellbeing is (and is not) and offer a framework for how businesses can approach and improve it. Drawing on extensive, large-scale data – including the world’s largest dataset on employee wellbeing, gathered in partnership with the jobs platform Indeed – the book reveals the remarkable ways in which wellbeing at work varies across workers, occupations, companies, and industries.

The authors present new, evidence-based insights into the origins of workplace wellbeing and how businesses can enhance the employee experience. Drawing on work from multiple academic disciplines, they show that workplace wellbeing encompasses both how we think about our work as a whole and how we feel while doing it. Their research demonstrates that improving wellbeing can boost productivity, aid in talent retention and recruitment, and ultimately improve financial performance.

With in-depth analysis and keen insight, Ward and De Neve debunk myths and test assumptions amidst an often-confusing cacophony of voices on wellbeing at work. Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters provides a firm foundation and indispensable resource for leaders seeking to shape the future of work.

Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters published by HBR Press

Business books: what to read this month

Financial Times

The growth and extent of workplace interventions claiming to improve employee health — from mindfulness to yoga — is enough to cause any manager a headache. But while the costs and the uptake of programmes have surged, the evidence for their effectiveness has not.

The authors, two Oxford-based academics, guide readers through confusion over definitions, data, causes and outcomes in a field that remains poorly researched, and overcrowded with assertions that are far from rigorous.

They have done some of the best analysis in the field seeking to understand the drivers of wellbeing, and its links to productivity. Pay and flexibility in employee location are important, according to this book. But the writers also suggest a sense of belonging, the ability to achieve goals, and genuine trust between colleagues, are even more effective in keeping us happy at work.

Work Culture in an Era of Mass Layoffs

Psychology Today

According to Jan-Emmanuel de Neve and George Ward, authors of a new book called Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: The Science Behind Employee Happiness and Organizational Performance, workplace wellbeing is not just about free lunchtime yoga classes and ping pong tables in the breakroom. And while flextime and remote work have a positive impact on employees’ ability to juggle professional and personal responsibilities, it is the way we view our work that has the most influence on our wellbeing.

Healthcare salaries fail to keep up with workers’ commitment

Financial Times

More broadly, De Neve points out that structural aspects of the workplace tend to be more important drivers of wellbeing than interventions offered to individual staff. As he argues in his latest book (co-authored with colleague George Ward) Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters, overall “the majority of people are not happy at work”.

“The main drivers of low or high wellbeing are the structural environment more than the individuals themselves,” De Neve adds. Based on detailed research primarily focused on employers in the US, he says the main drivers of satisfaction are job security; relationships and a feeling of belonging; and independence and flexibility. Less important overall are earnings and safety in the workplace.

3 Policies to Guide a Pro-Growth, Pro-Worker Economy Under Trump

Harvard Business Review

There is a powerful business case to be made for increasing the economic status of the lowest paid workers. Lower levels of inequality are correlated with higher overall economic growth that benefits every member of society, including shareholders. Companies with the best employee practices create sustained long-term value for their shareholders, as shown by new research conducted by the global hiring platform Indeed and the University of Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre. This point is further demonstrated by funds that track companies with pro-worker policies, such as the Just 100 Index and the ETF Harbor Human Capital Factor (HAPI) that have consistently outperformed the Russell 1000 and S&P 500, respectively.

Global mental health crisis hits workplaces

Financial Times

A recent study by Oxford university researchers, using data from the recruitment website Indeed, illustrated the business case for investing in improving workplace mental health.

Analysing responses from 1mn workers at 1,782 publicly listed US companies, it found a “strong positive relationship between employee wellbeing and the firm’s performance”, said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Oxford economics professor and the project’s leader.

A simulated share portfolio of the 100 companies that scored highest in Indeed’s wellbeing surveys consistently outperformed the main stock market indices.

“We have found that how people feel at work is consistently a good leading indicator of future market and financial performance,” said De Neve. Since January 2021, the portfolio had performed 11 per cent better than the S&P 500, he added.

What Does Happiness Have To Do With Business Productivity?

Forbes

Even before the pandemic, our nonprofit offered staff flexibility around work hours and the ability to attend to family obligations. The goal is to create an environment where employees work when they are most productive, meeting their work objectives in a way that works best for them.

The ethos of this principle was reflected in research conducted by Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, in partnership with British telecommunications giant BT. They found a direct correlation between happiness and productivity. The study indicates that people are 13% more productive when happy.

The study also found something interesting: Happy workers do not work more hours than their discontented colleagues. Instead, they are simply more productive during their work hours. This suggests businesses can increase productivity and outcomes by fostering a positive work environment and prioritizing happiness and well-being.

Workplace wellbeing: Stop focusing on individual ‘fixes’ and address the elephant in the room

HR Zone

Before employers throw their hands up in the air and cancel their subscriptions to digital wellbeing apps and mental health platforms, let’s be clear on one thing: wellbeing is a crucial investment in the workplace.

According to a recent study by the Wellbeing Research Centre, organisations with higher subjective wellbeing outperform the stock market. And not just by a small margin. They saw an 11% greater return than the S&P 500 in the first half of 2024.

Given that investing in wellbeing is a business and people imperative, that still leaves us with the question of how to make workplace wellbeing work for your organisation. Earlier this year, a new study by Oxford University’s William Fleming examined the impact of various wellbeing interventions such as mindfulness classes and wellbeing apps. It found that almost none of these solutions had any statistically significant impact on employee wellbeing.

Productive Doesn’t Always Mean Present, But It Helps

Forbes

Research from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford found that the most productive employees are happy ones. Its study of workers at a contact center over a six-month period found that when workers were happier, they made more calls per hour, and converted more of those calls into sales. The researchers also found that happy workers do not work more hours than their discontented colleagues – they are simply more productive during their time at work.