About the Thrive Series
The Thrive Series is a four-part series investigating the Thrive construct in the workplace. The series is written by Aaron Quinn, Ph.D., who is the CEO of AlbumHealth. The series answers four basic questions: What does Thrive mean? How can you measure Thrive? What outcomes does Thrive impact? How can you (and I) develop and maintain Thrive in the workplace?
This four-part series will answer these questions based on existing literature and conclude with evidence-based recommendations to Drive Thrive in your workplace.
What Outcomes Does Thrive Impact?
In Part 1, Thrive in the workplace was defined by this author as “A positive state influenced by the workplace that drives feeling good about your abilities, your life, and your development. Thrive leads to mastery and a sense reaching your full potential at work and in your personal life.”
In Part 2, I reviewed Thrive measures and highlighted Harvard’s Thriving from Work Questionnaire as a favored measure.
In Part 3, I shift my attention to the “So What?” question. If Thrive is an important construct and one worth measuring in your workplace, then there must be clear evidence that Thrive impacts workplace outcomes that are meaningful right? Here’s what the available evidence shows:
- Thrive relates to increased productivity
- Thrive is associated with reduced employee turnover
- Thrive inversely relates to employer healthcare costs
- Thrive is associated with fewer employee absences
The current evidence-based on the impact of Thrive in the workplace is promising with most studies showing that Thrive has both significant and meaningful impact on the outcomes cited above (and there are others related to health, risk, spending, and culture). While the current evidence is promising, there is much more work to be done and to understand the relation between Thrive and workplace KPIs – we are at the early stages acquiring knowledge. That said, the current evidence is promising and I believe sufficient to begin both measuring Thrive in your workplace and addressing the factors that enable Thrive to improve your workplace.
Look for Part 4: Develop and Maintain Thrive next Tuesday May 6th.