An initiative involving the University of East Anglia (UEA) has launched a new website offering businesses access to the latest advice and research on wellbeing and productivity.
The Productivity of Outcomes of Workplace Practice, Engagement & Learning (PrOPEL) Hub is led by Strathclyde Business School, and funded by the Economic & Social Research Council.
It brings together leading academics from seven institutions across the UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) to explore workplace practices that deliver high quality, engaging work and enhance business performance and productivity. In addition to the University of Strathclyde and UEA, partners include the Universities of Aston, Sheffield, Nottingham, Ulster and Cardiff.
The Hub website will provide a platform for sharing useful advice, ideas and practical lessons for organisations, all informed by the very latest research and evidence. To celebrate its launch, a series of bespoke webinars and podcasts will be delivered over the coming weeks by PrOPEL Hub partners exploring themes such as management during COVID-19, job design, innovation, wellbeing and productivity.
Prof Sara Connolly from Norwich Business School is UEA’s lead on the project. She said: “We are delighted to be part of this collaborative initiative. The Hub website will offer people in businesses and organisations plain English summaries, blogs, podcasts and more, distilling our high quality research into a format that can be translated into real change for the better, something which is particularly important during these challenging times.”
Prof Graeme Roy, PrOPEL Hub Director, said: “This exciting initiative aims to boost UK productivity by helping businesses design and build more effective workplaces. Better workplaces will lead not only to higher productivity, more jobs and prosperity but will also improve the wellbeing of employees across the UK.
“These issues were important prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but in times of economic crisis, the role of high-quality, productive work becomes even more crucial. Building a highly productive economy which values the role of employees is a key objective of many in the recovery phase.
“The Hub brings together many of the UK’s leading researchers in this area. It will showcase the latest research and best practice and offer practical lessons, toolkits and new ways of doing things that any business can learn from.”
For the latest updates follow the Hub on Twitter and LinkedIn.
