Work and Well Being

Organisations that are interested in evaluating the well-being issues of their staff often have similar questions about our work

• Questions about our assessments
• Questions about employee populations
• Questions about security
• Questions about cost
• General questions

Questions about our assessments

What kind of questions are included in an assessment?

Our questionnaires cover all aspects of people’s work that may affect their well-being so our analyses are very comprehensive. Questions can range from areas relating to the work itself through to the impact on physical, psychological, environmental and social well-being.

Can questions in an assessment be changed?

Generally, the questions in our assessments are standardisd so they cannot be altered. However, we can change certain phrases if they fit better with an organisation’s terminology.

Can organisations add questions to an assessment?

Yes. We appreciate that some employers may wish to ask extra questions specific to their own situation so we allow companies to add extra items to the questionnaire for a small extra charge.

Do the assessments measure the positive aspects of work as well as the problem areas?

Our assessments focus on the areas that impair employee well-being. This is because organizations generally want to establish the areas where they can make improvements. However, the response scales we use allow people to indicate the degree to which they experience items listed, which can be interpreted as positive indications.

Do the assessments cover aspects of well-being that organisations are unable to address?

No. Our approach is practical and pragmatic. Only areas that can be influenced by work-place interventions are included in our instruments.

Questions about employee populations

What size employee population are the assessments aimed at?

A minimum employee population of 100 is recommended. There is no maximum number.

Can assessments be used on an individual basis?

Yes. Our assessments can be used on an individual basis for situations such as one-on-one coaching sessions. Obviously, anonymity is compromised.

Can the assessments be used for employees in countries other than the UK?

Generally, our instruments are validated for UK employees. Organisations wishing to use for overseas operations should contact us for further information.

Questions about security

How are responses to assessment collected?

Our questionnaires are hosted and administered on an independent, secure site.

Does the client have access to the identities of those employees who complete the assessment?

As part of Terms and Conditions, we guarantee the anonymity of all respondents and ensure that the analyses do not identify small groups or individuals. Employees access the assessment via a specially generated, encrypted password. They complete the assessment via our own independent site and we do not ask for email addresses.

Questions about cost

How much does an assessment cost?

Our cost structure is based on a number of factors including the number of demographic questions asked, the number of employees invited to take part and the type of analyses required. Contact us for further details.

General questions

Do you provide solutions to the problems that are identified by the assessments?

We focus only on the measurement aspects of employee well-being and are independent of any solution-based services. We believe this makes our approach more credible as we do NOT want to sell consulting services off the back of any evaluation. However, based on our experience, we are happy to discuss possible ways to address specific areas and put you in touch with potential providers, who we know and trust, if required.

How are your assessments different to other similar scales available?

Our assessments are different in three ways. Firstly, no other workplace assessments have been constructed to measure well-being directly. Secondly, our approach is sector-based so we can evaluate aspects of work that are most specific and relevant to both the employees themselves and those who are required to act on the findings. Finally, our instruments have been developed on rigorous scientific principles already used in clinical research so their validity is assured.

How are your assessments different to staff engagement and staff satisfaction surveys?

Employee well-being is conceptually different to staff engagement or staff satisfaction. Research has been shown it to be a better predictor of performance in the workplace (1). Generally, engagement scales contain questions which are important to management. This compares to our well-being instruments which reflect those areas of work which are most important to the workers themselves and therefore identify the real drivers of performance.

How are your assessments different to stress surveys?

While work-related stress can be an important dimension in employee well-being but the two concepts are not synonymous. Employee well-being takes into account all aspects of work which people perceive to be important to their well-being which reach beyond organizational stress. Our research consistently shows that stress stemming from the workplace is one discrete element of employee well-being and it is often only of modest negative consequence relative to other considerations.

How long does it take to carry out an assessment?

Generally speaking, we allow an 8-10 week period to conduct an assessment. This starts from the time we are appointed to the time we feed back the findings to you.

(1) Wright TA, Cropanzano R. Psychological well-being and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance . J Occup Health Psychol 2000; Jan;5(1):84-94.