UVIGO AND MRF ARE CONDUCTING A PIONEERING STUDY ON HEALTH AND WELLBEING AT WORK

The University of Vigo and the Ourense-based company Mecanizados Rodríguez Fernández (MRF) are conducting a pioneering study on health and well-being at work. The project, funded by the Galician Innovation Agency of the Xunta de Galicia, seeks to “generate knowledge that helps promote healthier and more sustainable work environments”.

The study is led by Diego García, a psychologist specialising in methodologies and a PhD student in Economics and Management Control at UVigo–ECOBAS (centro de investigación interuniversitario Economics and Business Administration for Society). The research is part of his doctoral thesis under the supervision of Ernesto López Valeiras, professor at the Faculty of Business Sciences and Tourism on the Ourense campus.

Those responsible for the project at the University of Vigo emphasise that “this collaboration exemplifies how the union between university and industrial enterprise allows academic research to be transferred to the reality of the productive fabric, generating both social and economic benefits”. Susana Baños, head of Human Resources at MRF, stresses that “generating prosperity and well-being must begin within our own company; collaborating in this research allows us to contribute scientific value and, at the same time, explore new ways of caring for our people”.

Nine months of data collection

The initiative has aroused great interest among MRF's staff: 44 employees have voluntarily signed up, representing almost half of the company.“For nine months, they will participate in the study, which combines psychometric questionnaires with the use of smart bracelets and the Mentiness technology platform, ensuring anonymous and reliable data collection", say those responsible for the study.

This project, as indicated by the participating entities, “is an ejemplo de example of multidisciplinary cooperation, bringing together the university (UVigo–Ecobas), the technology company (Mentiness) and industry (MRF), demonstrating how innovation and social responsibility can go hand in hand to create healthier and more sustainable work environments.”.