Work and well-being

There are countless pieces of advice when it comes to improving work that relate to becoming more productive, efficient, profitable, happy, etc. While much of the advice available for free is not rooted in solid evidence, one of the main scientific assets to understanding workplace improvement is behavioral science. There is a breadth of evidence, even entire academic disciplines, which suggest that insights from psychology in particular are directly correlated to improving internal and external relations and practices at work. This blogpost highlights some of the main direct and indirect influences of behavioral science at the workplace and highlight how many principles can easily be implemented to much success.

In the wake of the #MeToo Movement, more and more industries are grappling with the fact that sexual harassment is both a widespread and under-reported phenomenon (Khomami, 2017; Jagsi, 2018). Numerous victims, of a variety of genders, have suffered in silence for years while supervisors and colleagues subjected them to unwanted sexual attention. Now, suddenly, accusations are being made public, and victims are being met with greater public understanding and empathy.

When workers are absent from work, this can cause many problems for organizations. Although organizations expect employees to take time off for doctor appointments and sickness, excessive absenteeism can lead to decreased productivity (Forbes, 2013). One of the best competitive advantages for organizations is the people that they hire. When talent is absent from work, this can have a deleterious effect on organizational effectiveness. A survey of European countries conducted by Eurofound revealed that, on average, rates of absence across Europe are between 3% and 6% of working time. Taking this into consideration makes absenteeism rate a hidden champion key performance indicator (KPI) for productivity, employee engagement and leadership effectiveness. This blog post discusses the causes and costs of absenteeism as well as how to measure and reduce it.