Newsletter #45 – April 2026

If you have been receiving our newsletter for a while now, you’ll know that we are entering a period of transition for the Evolve Workplace Wellbeing project. We are bringing you new training and offers, doing new research, but still maintaining the free resources and podcasts that you know us for.

We will be undertaking web development in April and May. Please bear with us if the website is occasionally unavailable for short periods. This should not affect the podcast platform.

Once the refurbishment is complete, the website should be easier to navigate and we’ll have plenty of new resources and offers to add. Wish us luck!

On the Evolve Workplace Wellbeing podcast, we focus on how research can be useful to workplace wellbeing practice. We often have academics and applied researchers on talking about their research. We also like to feature managers / HR or organisational development practitioners who have used research in their own organisations. Could this be you? Have you used some of the Evolve resources or training to make a change in your own organisation? Do you do regular evaluation or engagement studies with your own employees which give you data to analyse and work from? If so – we’d love to hear from you.

Email workplace.wellbeing@uea.ac.uk for a chat about the type of research you have used in practice, how it has made a difference to your own organisation and if you’d like to take part in a podcast about it.

Job crafting research trial now live – employers can sign up to take part:

WISHES is a £1.8m project funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) delivering the world’s largest ever trial of job crafting to support the health, work engagement, retention and productivity of UK workers.

Job crafting initiatives equip workers with the understanding to make positive informal changes to their jobs (e.g. tasks, time, scheduling, environment, resources, development opportunities) to make work more meaningful, sustainable, healthier and therefore more productive. International evidence finds that job crafting strengthens worker autonomy, engagement and wellbeing.

Via participating employers, the project is open to all UK-resident workers who would like to improve their wellbeing, enjoyment or performance at work. WISHES may be of particular interest to people who self-identify as having a disability, long-term health condition and/or other support needs (e.g. caring responsibilities, faith practices, combining multiple jobs) and we have designed training to be inclusive and accessible for people in these groups. All workers who want to improve their wellbeing, experience or satisfaction at work are eligible however.

We already have a number of large and small employers signed up to take part, but the call is still open for more. Please be in touch!

·         Visit the website for information: WISHES: Workplace Intervention for Sustainable Health and Employment Support

·         Hear more about job crafting in our Evolve podcast: Job crafting for people with health conditions and disabilities

·         To schedule a quick, no commitment online conversation with the team please email sarah.dauncey@strath.ac.uk and h.fitzhugh@uea.ac.uk and let us know where you heard of the project.

·         7^th May 2026, 9:30 – 12.30. Becoming a Wellbeing Learning Organisation. Sign up via UEA Store.

·         15^th September 2026, 13:30 – 16:30. Making the business case for wellbeing investment. Sign up via UEA Store.

·         10^th November 2026, 9:30 – 12:30. Enabling line managers to support worker wellbeing. Sign up via UEA Store.

·         18^th February 2027, 13:30 – 16:30. Authenticity building and overcoming cynicism. Sign up via UEA Store.

£375+VAT each (or one of your choice free when you join Evolve Together). Any questions – please email workplace.wellbeing@uea.ac.uk

In this section we compile other evidence-informed links to pieces on workplace wellbeing that we have found interesting. The following are not produced by the Evolve Workplace Wellbeing team.

·         Family–Work Balance as a Strategic Lever: From Ethical Management to Sales Performance – Online Event from the University of Strathclyde, 6^th May, sign up via Eventbrite link

·         Why are a growing number of young people who are NEET reporting work-limiting health conditions | The Health Foundation

·         TikTok’s mental health ‘minefield’ | UEA press release

·         Workplace Bullying in the Open: the Risks Associated with Working in an Open Office | Occupational Health Science

·         The role of leadership and governance in occupational safety and health | Lloyds Register Foundation

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Feel free to pass this newsletter on to colleagues and ask them to sign up for the next one using the email sign up box on the contact page of our website (scroll down, left hand box): Contact – evolveworkplacewellbeing.org

TO UNSUBSCRIBE – email workplace.wellbeing@uea.ac.uk with the word UNSUBSCRIBE as your subject title.

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The Evolve Workplace Wellbeing Team

Norwich Business School

University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ