Victoria University Longitudinal Study in partnership with HeyPenny

About the study

Victoria University of Wellington is launching a major longitudinal study to understand how leader-led 1:1 check-in conversations can predict and improve employee wellbeing, engagement, and performance.

Instead of relying on traditional surveys alone for collecting employee insights, this study will test whether the insights captured from 1:1 check-in conversations can provide greater insights into what’s helping people thrive and what’s getting in the way.

This research is grounded in the internationally recognised Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model, which explains how job demands (like workload and stress) drain wellbeing, while job resources (like support and recognition) drive engagement and performance.

This will be the first study of its kind in Aotearoa, and one of the first globally, to validate conversational data as a scientific measure of wellbeing and performance.

The HeyPenny platform and approach

HeyPenny is a leader-led approach and platform designed to help organisations understand how work is impacting their people in real time. Leaders enter notes or transcripts from their 1:1 check-ins and HeyPenny’s AI Agent analyses them to generate concise, anonymous insights linked to key psychosocial factors. The platform also prepares them for the following meeting along with providing targeted coaching feedback.

This approach strengthens leadership capability by helping leaders understand their people more clearly, support them more effectively, and respond earlier to risks or barriers. Employees benefit too as they feel heard, valued, and backed by their leaders. Over time, organisations gain a deeper, more accurate view of what’s helping engagement and performance and where support is needed most.

What the study will measure

How people experience work
Capturing monthly conversational check-ins across a range of psychosocial factors such as workload, recognition, role clarity, autonomy, and psychological safety.

Links to real business outcomes
Using organisational data such as:

  • turnover

  • absenteeism

  • productivity or output

  • health and safety indicators

  • customer satisfaction (if relevant)

This combined dataset allows researchers to identify patterns, early warning signs, and direct links between everyday work experiences and organisational performance.

Who’s leading the research?

The study is led by Dr. Dan Langerud from Victoria University of Wellington, supported by a team of world-leading organisational psychologists and wellbeing experts, including:

Dr. Dan Langerud
Victoria University

Dr. Paula Brough
Griffith University

Dr. Hillary Bennett
Leading Safety

Dr. Rebecca Downes
Victoria University

What’s involved for participating organisations

The study has been intentionally designed to be low effort for organisations while providing high-value insights. 

Note: all conversation notes or transcripts are deleted from the system once a leader confirms the insights, in addition to this, all insights are anonymised before being analysed by the researchers. 

You can expect:

  1. Six months of monthly conversational check-ins
    Leaders use HeyPenny within existing 1:1’s. No additional meetings required.

  2. Three short employee surveys
    Baseline, midpoint, and end-of-study.

  3. Light organisational data sharing
    Providing agreed outcome measures such as turnover or absenteeism figures.

  4. Simple onboarding
    Victoria University and HeyPenny support your leaders and employees to get set up smoothly.

  5. Full confidentiality
    Only de-identified data is shared with the research team.

Why join the study?

Participating organisations gain access to insights and value that would normally be part of a large-scale consulting project at no cost. Organisational benefits include:

  • Clear visibility of what’s really happening inside your workplace
    See what helps your people thrive, what creates friction, and where risks sit in real time.

  • Understand the link between wellbeing and performance
    Gain objective evidence showing how job demands and resources shape engagement, motivation, and productivity.

  • Early identification of psychosocial risks
    Spot issues before they turn into burnout, turnover, conflict, or health and safety concerns.

  • Stronger leadership capability
    Leaders gain a deeper understanding of their team and improve their ability to support, coach, and connect.

  • Data to support better decision-making
    Use validated evidence to guide investment, resourcing, work design, and wellbeing strategy.

  • Be part of national and international research
    Your organisation contributes to research that will shape the future of workplace wellbeing and performance in Aotearoa and beyond.

Want to be a part of the study?

Victoria University is now selecting partner organisations to participate in the 2026 research programme. If you’d like to express interest or learn more about what participation involves, please reach out.