The Productivity of Outcomes of Workplace Practice, Engagement & Learning (PrOPEL) Hub launched its website this week, featuring contributions from WISERD staff.
Professor Alan Felstead and Rhys Davies are part of the Productivity Outcomes of Workplace Practice, Engagement and Learning (PrOPEL) Hub, a £1.95 million project, which is supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
The Hub explores workplace practices that deliver high quality, engaging work and enhance business performance and productivity. The PrOPEL website will provide a platform for sharing useful advice, ideas and practical lessons for organisations, all informed by the latest research and evidence.
The three-year initiative, which is led by Strathclyde Business School, comprises researchers from seven institutions along with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
PrOPEL Hub in Wales is hosted by WISERD at Cardiff University, based within the School of Social Sciences and supported by its links with Cardiff Business School.
The new website features material from WISERD and Cardiff University including:
– How good is your job? – promoting Professor Alan Felstead’s howgoodismyjob.com quiz which allows people to explore how their job compares to those of others.
– How high is union membership where you live? Using WISERD’s UnionMaps tool which presents small area estimates of union membership and the coverage of collective agreements – an important aspect of job quality.
– Disability Talking, a short film produced by Professor Melanie Jones and Professor Victoria Wass at Cardiff University which draws on the experiences of four workers who describe the barriers that they encountered in the workplace and the support that was available to them to address these barriers.
Professor Graeme Roy, PrOPEL Hub Director, said “This exciting new 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.”
To celebrate its launch, a series of bespoke webinars and podcasts are being delivered by PrOPEL Hub partners exploring themes such as management during Covid-19, job design, innovation, wellbeing and productivity.
Next Monday, 22 June, sees the launch of a podcast – ‘Fair work in the context of Covid-19’ featuring Professor Alan Felstead from WISERD; Professor Patricia Findlay, University of Strathclyde and Ed Houghton, CIPD.
Follow the Hub on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest updates.