Research Design Connection: Workplace Wellness Efforts

 

Robbins and Wansink make recommendations for the allocation of workplace wellness resources. As stated in a press release issued by Cornell, “’Instead of focusing on individual wellness outcomes, we propose that it would be more effective if managers were incentivized to create healthier overall work environments with simple, easy to implement actions such as installing a water cooler, providing healthy snacks at meetings, and encouraging work/life balance,’ said lead author Rebecca Robbins, PhD.” Overall work environment interventions might also include modifications to the physical environment that encourage activity during the workday, for example.

“Increase Employee Wellness and Motivation by Tying 10% of Managerial Salary Increases to Health Initiatives.” 2016. Press release, Cornell University, http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/op/manager_wellness

Sally Augustin, PhD, a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.