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LATEST RESEARCH

MEASURING AND SUPPORTING SYNERGISTIC APPROACHES TO WORKER WELL-BEING, ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 

Project Overview

The relationship between worker well-being, organizational performance, and environmental sustainability is synergistic. When organizations focus on one area, it often positively influences the others, leading to a virtuous cycle where the well-being of workers, the success of the organization, and the health of the planet are all enhanced. The purpose of this project is to determine what (if any) evaluation mechanism (s) employers are using to measure wellbeing, performance and sustainability in an aggregated way, and design/find a new tool that employers can use.

 

To participate please complete the research survey for your organization here. COMPLETE SURVEY to contribute to the future of workplace well-being. It only takes 10-15 minutes there are several benefits!

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Who's Doing the Work?

Project Activities, Benefits and History

Activities

Wellness Works Canada provides resources, tools and accreditation to organizational well-being practitioners and employers to build healthy high-performing work cultures. The aim is to build a healthy population and economy – one organization at a time, together.

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The challenge this project will address is supporting Canadian workplaces who struggle to understand the strategies and metrics to support well-being, sustainability and performance in a succinct holistic way ( Nilashi, M., Keng Boon, O., Tan, G., Lin, B., & Abumalloh, R. (2023) and Hellstrand, Stefan, 2017 and Amrani, M., Chaib, R.,

Bouzaouit, A., & Ion, V. (2020), Nielsen, K., Nielsen, M. B., Ogbonnaya, C., Känsälä, M., Saari, E., & Isaksson, K. (2017).) Most organizations have siloed strategies and insufficient resources and expertise to simultaneously and effectively tackle and benefit from the relationships between these workplace factors (Bento F, Tagliabue M,

Lorenzo F, 2020). In particular, there is very little support for small and medium-sized enterprises that make up to 90% of the Canadian workforce.

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Benefits 

  • Workplaces in Canada will have access to strategies to support worker well-being, organizational performance and environmental sustainability.

  • Organizations of all sizes will have an index to measure the impact of strategies to support the UN’s SDGs, worker well-being and performance to make Canada a more attractive place to live, work and do business.

  • Ultimately the outcomes desired are: enhanced well-being of employees, reduced environmental impacts from workplaces, and an economic benefit due to healthy and high performing organizations.

  • Support positive change for SMEs to support the three elements of worker well-being, environmental sustainability and organizational performance consciously for a win-win-win.

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Review of Prior Work

Efforts to enhance workplace well-being and sustainability often lack cohesive metrics and reporting mechanisms aligned with performance measures. A review indicates a significant gap in defining worker well-being, particularly regarding psychological health and safety (PHS) (Baker & Bamber, 2021). Mental health issues account for about 30% of disability claims in Canada, costing over $50 billion annually (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2019).

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this, increasing anxiety and depression rates among workers (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2020). Few tools exist for SMEs to measure sustainability effectively.

 

In 2013, the CSA Standard on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace was developed, outlining 13 key measurement factors (CSA Group, 2013). An international standard followed in 2021, but its complexity poses challenges for SMEs. Organizations often struggle to allocate resources among PHS, diversity, sustainability, and

occupational health (Kelloway, 2022), resulting in fragmented metrics and inadequate reporting, particularly in SMEs (Zahid et al., 2021).

 

Theories from Huettermann & Bruch (2019) on “mutual gain” and van de Voorde & Boxall (2014) on transformational leadership highlight the importance of supportive environments in enhancing employee well-being. Additionally, SMEs

face barriers in meeting sustainability standards due to limited resources, hindering alignment with global initiatives like the UN’s sustainable development goals (World Economic Forum, 2022).

 

Wellness Works Canada has developed a Workplace Health and Performance Charter and 9-point assessment tool to evaluate their employee health strategies and identify areas for improvement, but it does not align with sustainability. Wellness Works also conducts surveys and assessments to integrate well-being and sustainability,

however, more tools are needed for effective measurement of these areas.

 

Addressing these gaps is vital for stakeholders considering investments in well-being and sustainability initiatives.

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Effective metrics demonstrate the tangible benefits, of enhancing organizational performance and competitiveness (Zahid et al., 2021). Investing in well-being is a strategic decision that can lead to improved employee engagement, reduced absenteeism, and greater organizational resilience (Baker & Bamber, 2021), ultimately supporting a healthier population, economy, and planet.

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Project Plan

The purpose of this project is to determine what evaluation mechanism (s) employers can use to measure worker well-being, organizational performance and environmental sustainability in an effective and efficient way and design a tool that employers can use. Specific objectives of the project include:

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Objective 1: Develop a survey to administer to a sample of organizations of various sizes to identify current measurement methods, desired indicators/metrics.

 

Objective 2: Research current regulations across Canada, evaluation methods and indicators through a review of literature and practices internationally under each of the three categories of well-being, sustainability, and performance to identify potential measurement methods that would incorporate all three categories.

 

Objective 3: Compare and contrast the current uses by industry based on the survey results and identify/develop a tool that encompasses all three categories into one measurement tool.

 

Objective 4: Test/discuss the tool with a sample of stakeholders through focus groups for potential launch.

 

Objective 5: Develop a marketing plan to distribute the tool and encourage its use among industry.

 

Specific Methodologies

How the Tool Will be Built

  1. Understand if and how Canadian businesses are measuring the three synergistic concepts of worker wellbeing, organizational performance and environmental sustainability by surveying to collect information on the level of engagement in measurement and the outcomes that have been derived. This will help us determine the market segments that would most benefit from the tool and the communication needed to incentive adoption.​

  2. Review current evaluation methods to find an existing tool or design a new tool that aggregates the three concepts into one set of indicators that organizations can use.

  3. Collaborate with partners to promote the tool for organizations to use and report on.

  4. Correlational research will investigate the relationship between worker well-being (perception/subjective and PHS), organizational performance and environmental sustainability (UN's SDGs) according to a literature review in the last 10 years from across the globe using terms such at triple bottom line, organizational well-being, organizational performance, organizational sustainability, green human resource management, strategic positioning, talent acquisition competitiveness, tacit knowledge accumulation and retention, organizational effectiveness, and competitiveness.

 

Determining the relationship between these factors will help support organizations to identify measures and practices towards achieving them in. The various parts of the project will use surveys, focus groups, research, and reporting to achieve its objectives.

 

The following step identifies the methodology for each step in the project:

 

Step 1) Research survey: design and apply a survey instrument to evaluate what employers are currently using to measure well-being, performance and sustainability.

  1. Finalize and test a survey instrument with a small group.

  2. Identify survey sample size, key stakeholders to be contacted, etc.

  3. Conduct a research ethics review and clearance

  4. Develop incentives to support uptake, send survey to multiple stakeholders in each organization as required.

  5. Send survey, and follow-up to increase response rates.

  6. Enter and analyze data.

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Step 2) Develop a new tool for measuring all three concepts.

  1. Review literature on indicators and measurement tools available on the 3 factors (worker well-being, organizational performance & environmental sustainability) to inform the development of a future tool.

  2. Develop a tool for business that meets the needs gathered from the survey and using the consolidated approach from the literature review above.

  3. Organize a focus group to review the potential tool.

  4. Identify incentives to support adoption and test the new tool.

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Step 3) Launch the new measurement tool.

  1. Develop a guide to help businesses use the tool.

  2. Identify potential partners to use the tool among their membership: governments, business organizations, etc.

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Step 4) Reporting

  1. Develop an article for publication.

  2. Develop a presentation for a future conference/gathering.

 

Deliverables:

  1. Survey instrument

  2. Academic literature review on indicators and measurement systems for the 3 areas

  3. New measurement tool: A Worker Well-being, Sustainability and Organizational Performance Index

  4. Results of meetings with stakeholders and final report

  5. A Practical Guide to Support Worker Well-being, Environmental Sustainability and Organizational Performance

  6. Conference presentation and potential authoring of a paper for publication

Let’s Work Together

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