A new paper examines psychometric properties of the Flourish Index (FI) and Secure Flourish Index (SFI) in the workplace setting. Written by Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska and Eileen McNeely of SHINE and Tyler J. VanderWeele of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard, this paper specifically explores the psychometric properties of the FI and SFI in the working population of 5565 office and manufacturing employees of two US Fortune 500 manufacturing companies. This study…
New paper on legacy health effects among never smokers exposed to occupational secondhand smoke
A new study on the effects of secondhand smoke on never smokers has just been published by SHINE Harvard researchers. The study reports associations between legacy secondhand tobacco smoke (SHTS) exposure going back decades and several severe cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes, including MI, PAD, and repeated pneumonia. The researchers found no evidence of positive associations between SHTS and any cancer, but observed associations between SHTS and cardiac outcomes, including myocardial infarction (OR =…
BenefitsPro | Redefining the future of workplace well-being
There’s a clear business case for helping employees get healthy, but it’s more than that—it’s simply the right thing to do. We’re facing unprecedented levels of poor health—from obesity and chronic health conditions to loneliness, which poses a significant health risk equal to that of smoking. And employers are feeling the impact. According to the Centers for Disease Control, absenteeism related to chronic conditions like obesity, smoking and physical inactivity was associated with annual…
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New Paper on Reimagining Health & Flourishing in JAMA
A new paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) authored by Tyler J. VanderWeele (Human Flourishing Program – Harvard), PhD, Eileen McNeely, PhD (SHINE – Harvard) ; Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH (Culture of Health – Harvard) explores how even more holistic measures of “well-being” from medicine, psychology, economics, sociology, and government, while come closer to capturing an individual’s complete well-being, still often fall short. The authors propose that in contrast to…
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The Guardian | ‘Chemical burns’: Delta flight attendants say new uniforms cause rashes
Delta flight attendants are complaining that a new set of uniforms introduced by the airline are still causing skin rashes and worse almost a year after the company introduced them. And while the airline says it is addressing the issue, some flight attendants say they fear retaliation for complaining. Last May, Delta unveiled a new set of slick purple uniforms designed by Bravo’s Project Runway star Zac Posen and manufactured…
HBS Case Study: New Balance: Managing Orders and Working Conditions
We’re excited to announcement that SHINE’s research in the supply chain is featured in a Harvard Business School Case Study: New Balance Athletics, Inc., a major U.S.-based athletic footwear and apparel brand, sources most of its footwear products from independent suppliers whose factories are located in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Monica Gorman, vice president of responsible leadership and global compliance, is seeking to combine data sets collected by different parts…
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Harvard Gazette | A Program to Give Workplace Well-being a Boost
What good is a sustainable environment if it leaves people unhappy, unhealthy, and broke? As the calls for sustainability practices grew louder in recent years, Eileen McNeely thought the conversations were ignoring that important point. Too close a focus on the environment — and on the starvation, disease, and heat stroke that climate change is expected to inflict — and you miss the idea that humans might actually flourish in…
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New Paper on the Impact of Savings & Credit on Health
SHINE researchers, Piotr Bialowolski, Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska, along with Tyler J. Vanderweele, of the Human Flourishing Program published a paper on the results of a study on the impact of savings and credit on health and health behaviors. The study is published in the International Journal of Public Health.This study evaluated decisions related to debt and savings on physical health, emotional health and health behaviours and used longitudinal data from the Polish…
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Announcing SHINE’s Executive Leadership Well-being Survey
SHINE’s research focuses on the health and well-being of the workplace. While our research up to date has been mostly around the workforce – from office employees to factory workers and the supply chain – we are adding a new cohort, CEOs and senior management. As noted by Dr. Eileen McNeely, while Harvard and others have conducted significant research on workplace well-being, the focus has been on employee well-being and little…
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Washington Post | How to be green without giving up life’s luxuries
Shout out to SHINE’s mission to change the conversation from reducing our footprint to increasing our “handprint” – a positive influence and measure on the environment. Read the Article.