Prof Alex Bryson (UCL) shared research on the explanatory factors for job variance at the latest of the Wellbeing Research Centre’s Seminar Series.
His work, published alongside Dr John Forth (City), and Prof Francis Green (UCL) considers the role of the workplace in decomposing job variance among workers.
Watch the full presentation on the Centre’s YouTube channel.
Prof Andrew Oswald (Warwick, and Senior Research Fellow of the Wellbeing Research Centre) shared new research on the relationship between climate change and wellbeing at the latest of the Wellbeing Research Centre’s Seminar Series.
His work, published alongside Dr Aatishya Mohanty (Aberdeen), Dr Nattavudh Powdthavee and Dr Cheng Keat Tang (both Nanyang Technological University) presents new findings on the apparent mechanism behind an increase in natural disasters, as well as the wellbeing impact of such events.
Watch the full presentation on the Centre’s YouTube channel.
Prof Kevin Daniels (UEA) shared findings on sustaining workplace health and wellbeing programmes at the latest of the Wellbeing Research Centre’s Seminar Series.
His work examines in particular the factors which may pose challenges for employers seeking to improve wellbeing at work.
Watch the full presentation on the Centre’s YouTube channel.
A major new research partnership seeks to advance the study of sustainable wellbeing.
The Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, and Asia-based venture builder and investment group Reapra, will collaborate to examine long-term questions around human wellbeing in what is thought to be the first Fellowship of its kind.
A new Reapra Research Fellow will work among Oxford’s interdisciplinary researchers to study the relationship between human wellbeing and environmental sustainability, with the goal of creating policy insights for the benefit of both current and – crucially – future generations.
The three-year partnership will augment Reapra’s efforts towards its vision of enabling future oriented-ness in business and society.
Founded in 2014 by Japanese entrepreneur Shuhei Morofuji, Reapra’s mission is to co-create industries for the betterment of society through research and practice.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science at Saïd Business School, Oxford, and Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre, said: “There is often a palpable tension between advancing population wellbeing and environmental sustainability. And, even when working with the best of intentions, policymakers and business leaders alike can lose sight of the long-term impact of their actions.
“We are therefore energised and excited by this new research partnership with our like-minded colleagues at Reapra, and wish to pay particular thanks to Shuhei-san for his leadership in this critical area of advancing our understanding of sustainable wellbeing .”
Laura Lynn Lee, Growth & Wellbeing Catalyst at Reapra, said: “By integrating human and planetary long-term wellbeing with business success and social contribution, we are aiming for a new way of industry-building that will empower next-generation orientation in socio-economic systems.
“This partnership with Jan and team at the Wellbeing Research Centre is a heartening milestone in that journey – one marked by the deep curiosity we share for long-term wellbeing and its integral role in orientating each generation to think about the next.”
The Wellbeing Research Centre now seeks an exceptional postdoctoral researcher to examine the interface between research and practice in the pursuit of long-term wellbeing as its new Reapra Research Fellow.
More details can be found on the Centre’s website ahead of the deadline for applications on Monday 11 November, 2024.
A new index of the top 100 publicly-traded companies in the US, powered by Oxford research, has been published by Indeed.
The 2024 Work Wellbeing 100 draws upon insights from the world’s largest study of workplace wellbeing, undertaken by global job matching and hiring platform Indeed alongside the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford.
Work wellbeing – or how employees feel at work – is a critical factor for job seekers when deciding where to work, and plays a significant role for employers hoping to attract, hire and retain top talent.
Oxford researchers previously found that Indeed’s work wellbeing data shows a compelling correlation: higher work wellbeing leads to improved valuation, higher return on assets, and greater profits underscoring that employee satisfaction can serve as a predictor of a company’s business and financial success.
The top 10 companies on Indeed’s 2024 Work Wellbeing 100 are:
“The employers on Indeed’s Work Wellbeing 100 list are setting an example and leading the way in creating thriving work environments,” said LaFawn Davis, Indeed’s Chief People and Sustainability Officer. “While work wellbeing has faced challenges in recent years, it’s more important than ever for companies to create environments where employees can truly thrive. By prioritizing work wellbeing, companies cultivate a more resilient, effective and happier workforce which ultimately drives business growth.”
The recognised companies represent a variety of industries across the US, ranging from healthcare to retail, to manufacturing, hospitality and tech. The retail and transportation industries are well represented on this list, with 23 and 14 companies respectively, showcasing the commitment to wellbeing. Regardless of their industry, employers on this list stand out for offering robust career growth opportunities and a commitment to flexible work options.
“Research consistently shows that how we feel at work matters. It deeply impacts our general wellbeing as well as company financial performance,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Professor of Economics at Saïd Business School and Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. “For employers, the wellbeing of their workforce cannot be underestimated as our research shows that those who prioritize wellbeing reap the rewards of higher productivity and improved employee retention and attraction. This is something we’ve now shown to be the case in both hard financial metrics as well as stock market performance.”
The companies on the Indeed Work Wellbeing 100 were determined based on employee feedback shared by US employees on Indeed across the four key wellbeing indicators between January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. To qualify, companies in the US must be a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ or NYSE and have received at least 100 responses for work wellbeing indicators in the past year (Jan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023).
Explore the 2024 Work Wellbeing 100 in full at indeed.com/employers/work-wellbeing-100.
Politicians and pollsters alike should pay greater attention to sadness and despair among voters, after a large-scale study highlighted the power of negative emotions in predicting election results.
Research published in the journal American Psychologist uses data from more than 150 countries1 and analysis of over 2 billion tweets to not only demonstrate a link between populist2 vote share and feelings such as fear and anger, but also with the “often overlooked” feelings of sadness and depression.
The findings highlight what Gallup CEO, Jon Clifton, has described elsewhere as a “blind spot” for politicians and election pollsters, who have missed the global rise of negative emotions over the past two decades. Indeed, none of the prominent forecasting models currently deployed to predict election outcomes include these emotions – referred to by researchers as ‘negative affect’ – as a predictor.
More than 4 billion people, over half the world’s population, have had or will have the opportunity to vote in national or regional elections in 2024.3
An interdisciplinary team of researchers – spanning economics, psychology, and computer science – from the University of Oxford, Stony Brook University, the University of Pennsylvania, University of Zurich, University of Cambridge, and Columbia University collaborated on the study.
They combined self-reported data on negative emotions from across the globe with analysis of sentiment within public posts on Twitter (now X), and compared trends in negative affect with data on populist beliefs and attitudes as well as, importantly, actual election results at scale. The research found that negative affect is a strong predictor of both populist beliefs and higher populist vote shares. The data also suggest, however, that once they are in power, incumbent populists no longer gain from negative affect among discontented voters.
The researchers found that negative affect – not only ‘high-activation’ negative emotions such as anger and anxiety, but also ‘low-activation’ emotions such as depression and sadness – significantly predicted populist outcomes in the case of:
Dr George Ward, Junior Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Oxford, where he is affiliated with Somerville College and the Wellbeing Research Centre, and lead author of the study, said: “It has become political lore that the state of the main economic indicators is what determines elections. But a growing body of evidence shows that how people are feeling matters just as much, if not more.
“Even if the economy is doing well from an objective standpoint, if voters are regularly experiencing large amounts of negative emotions – like sadness, anger, and fear – then the data suggests that there is fertile ground for populists to make electoral gains.”
Dr Jochen Menges, Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School and Director of the Center for Leadership in the Future of Work at the University of Zurich, and a co-author of the study, said: “Emotions matter for how people vote. Negative emotions such as anger, fear and sadness are a fertile ground for populists. In a year in which half of humanity goes to vote, our research calls for all politicians to alleviate rather than avail themselves of negative emotions.”
Dr Andrew Schwartz, Associate Professor in Computer Science and Director of HLAB (Human Language Analysis Beings) at Stony Brook University and a co-author of the study, said: “Analyzing digital language has come a long way. It can supplement traditional surveys with measurements of life, as lived online, and recent methods are making such measurement accurate by, for example, producing more representative statistics from biased samples. All of this makes it possible to measure emotion at scales never before possible.”
Dr Sandra Matz, the David W. Zalaznick Associate Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and a co-author of the study, said: “Populist leaders thrive on tapping into negative emotions to gain power at the ballot box, but their hold on power becomes precarious once in office. Once elected, they need to deliver on their promises of radical change to keep the backing of an emotionally charged electorate.
“Our research challenges conventional wisdom, revealing that negative emotions among voters not only call for change but also demand accountability from those in power. In today’s turbulent political landscape, understanding these dynamics is vital for any populist incumbent seeking to stay in the voters’ good graces.”
‘The Role of Negative Affect in Shaping Populist Support: Converging Field Evidence from Across the Globe’ is published in American Psychologist.
Prof Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, appeared before California State Assembly’s Select Committee on Happiness & Public Policy Outcomes in May.
He shared data on the state of wellbeing in California, including a county-by-county breakdown of the ‘happiest’ counties in the state, as well as answered policymakers’ questions on wellbeing outcomes and the practicalities of creating a wellbeing-first policy approach.
Watch the full hearing on the Centre’s YouTube channel, courtesy of the California State Assembly.
With grateful thanks to Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon for the invitation.
Prof Maureen Dollard (University of South Australia) shared findings on building a Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC) within workplaces at the latest of the Wellbeing Research Centre’s Seminar Series.
Her work examines the value of a PSC to employees and employers alike, and she discusses how the concept is being implemented within regional and national policies to improve wellbeing at work.
Watch the full presentation on the Centre’s YouTube channel.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) commissioned the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford to produce a report on the latest research on teacher wellbeing.
The report, Wellbeing for Schoolteachers, provides the IB, policymakers and educational leaders an understanding of teacher wellbeing, what influences teacher wellbeing, and what evidence-based interventions might be used to improve teacher wellbeing.
One of the most comprehensive reviews of existing research, the findings allowed researchers to develop an evidence-based framework that indicates the drivers of teacher wellbeing. This framework serves as a discussion point for schools to identify drivers that will be most relevant to their school context.
International data shows that teachers report one of the highest levels of occupational stress and burnout on the job compared with other professions. Workload is a prominent factor leading teachers to leave the profession.
This report reveals an increasing body of research indicating that teacher-related factors are some of the most essential elements impacting learning in schools. Importantly, teacher wellbeing has a significant impact on the wellbeing and academic success of students. Research suggests that teacher wellbeing should be one of the first factors schools consider when looking to improve wellbeing across the school community.
Based on the study, some of the key factors that positively impact teacher wellbeing include the following:
Dr. Laura Taylor, Deputy Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and Lead Researcher for the project, notes: “As we navigate the crucial intersection of education and wellbeing, the research evidence highlights the profound importance of prioritising teacher wellbeing. By investing in the health and happiness of educators, we not only empower them to thrive but also lay the foundation for a positive ripple effect on students, schools, and the broader education system.”
The full report can be found at wellbeing.hmc.ox.ac.uk/schools.
Wellbeing for Schoolteachers is a companion report to another study by the Wellbeing Research Centre on student wellbeing: Wellbeing in Education in Childhood and Adolescence.
