HKS and The University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth are conducting a six-month study to improve the way the firm’s employees work, collaborate, and innovate, both individually and as an organization, according to a news release.
The ongoing COVID pandemic has contributed to high levels of worker burnout, even though efficiency and productivity in many industries remain high in this era of hybrid work, the release notes. The study will assess this and other factors.
“The data compiled will be confidential and used to inform our own flexible workplace policies and how we design the built environment for peak brain performance,” HKS says. Nearly 200 HKS employees are involved in the Center for BrainHealth’s BrainHealthy Workplace program, which offers online training, think tanks, and daily brain exercises over a six-month span to optimize brain health.
Dr. Upali Nanda, HKS global director of research, said the partnership with the Center for BrainHealth could be a critical tool in mapping the firm’s future, with worker wellness at the forefront. “It is particularly timely right now when we are in this era of experimentation around the workplace and are battling high levels of burnout,” Nanda said. “Understanding the tenets of brain health allows us to reframe the role of the workplace, leverage the potential of flex work experience, and focus on peak performance of our people and their ability to think, create, and innovate.”
Related Stories
| Dec 18, 2014
Deal on 2015 budget slashes most federal construction spending
The $1.1 trillion funding bill for fiscal year 2015 approved by Congress makes deep cuts in some construction programs, but the General Services Administration suffered just a short haircut by comparison.
| Dec 11, 2014
Mayor backs reform of Pittsburgh inspection, permitting practices
The proposal, among other things, would impose a rental registration program and fee targeted at keeping better track of problem landlords.
| Dec 11, 2014
Los Angeles mayor proposes earthquake retrofit program
The ambitious program would focus on some apartment buildings built before 1978 and concrete buildings constructed before 1976.
| Dec 11, 2014
Outdated building code hampering recruitment of high-tech businesses in New York State
New York State’s building code is outdated and is hampering the recruitment of high-tech employers, according to a coalition of construction, fire safety, and insurance industry groups.
| Dec 11, 2014
Defense Authorization Act rejects BRAC for 2017
The House of Representatives has passed the $584.2 billion Defense Authorization Act.
| Dec 4, 2014
New airports raising green standards to new heights
Recent airport designs are bigger and much more efficient, based on a look at recent projects in Mexico City, London, and China.
| Dec 4, 2014
Rock Hill, S.C., puts moratorium on multifamily construction
City officials say the flurry of apartment construction over the past year has strained resources, including public services and infrastructure.
| Dec 4, 2014
Ontario contractors renew push for prompt payment legislation
A new coalition of Ontario contractors, construction associations, suppliers and trade unions will push for a revival of prompt payment legislation late this year.
| Dec 4, 2014
Roofing material manufacturers extend research project on sustainable roofing
A coalition of trade groups is sponsoring continued analysis of a reroofing project at the Onondaga County Correctional Facility in Jamesville, New York.
| Nov 26, 2014
Colorado must fix construction defects law, Denver Post says
Colorado's “vexing construction defects law” has hampered the building of new condominiums in the state, according to an editorial in the Denver Post.