Employee Well-being (Employee well-being (Why should orgs worry about…
What leads to employee well-being
An outcome of the intersection of an employee's work and family.
Where does work and family life begin or end?
Work: any instrumental activity intended to support life
Family: persons related by biological ties, marriage and adoption
Life: all activities and activities that exist
Result in three outcomes
Enrichment: the extent to which experiences in work improve the quality of life in the family
Balance: an individual's current life priorities of work and non-work activities
Conflict: the role pressures from the work and family
What is employee well-being
A measure of an employee's happiness, psychological, emotional and mental state, which is linked to how satisfied a person feels about their life and work.
Why should orgs worry about employee well-being
Increasing retention rate and decreasing turnover rate
Attracting quality candidates
Improving productivity and quality of work
Avoiding most of the high cost generated from injury and illness
Conflict and coping
complex relationships exist between organisational family supportive policies such as flexitime and telework and employee experiences of conflict
People who tend to use a problem-focused coping style when faced with life’s difficulties may more easily avoid work–family conflict. Would theoretically help avert both directions of time-based and strain-based conflict.
supervisors who are family supportive would conceivably help to reduce their employees’ work-related concerns that would potentially sap the energy they need to fully participate in family activities
Valued resources are a basis for stress
Objects, personal characteristics, conditions, energies that are valued by the individual
Types of conflict
one role drains the resources (e.g., time and energy) that people need to fully participate in and be successful in the other role.
one role consuming the time and/or removing the scheduling flexibility that is necessary to meet expectations in the other role
stressors in one role (e.g., spousal conflict, problematic teenager, workplace harassment, work role ambiguity) drain the person’s mental and/or physical energy (indicated by exhaustion, reduced ability to concentrate) that is needed to meet expectations in the other role
Work supportive family members
Provide emotional sustenance and instrumental assistance. Studies showed emotional sustenance to be more effective.
Family-supportive immediate supervision
Time based: accomodating to employee’s family-related obligations
Strain based: less concerned about making an unfavourable impression upon the supervisor by tending to family related obligations.
Strain based: help to reduce their employees’ work-related concerns that would potentially sap the energy they need to fully participate in family activities
Flexitime and Telework
Flexibility is a valued resource as it is associated with increased employee autonomy or control over work-related matters
Strain based conflict may not be avoided
May also be possible for greater work interference with family and vice versa
Telework: removes geographic separation between work and family roles/ segment work and family
Factors influencing work-family conflict
flexi- time, understanding supervisor, supportive organisational policies
legislation relating to employee right
Forms of conflict
Time - time used to perform one role minimises their ability to perform the other e.g. spending too much time at work and sacrificing family time
Strain - when the stresses of work/family pressure drains the individuals ability to complete the other
Behaviour - when one behaviour in a role is incompatible with the other e.g. illegal behaviour to get the deal done at work vs personal and moral ethics that you hold yourself and family accountable for
Employee well-being in the 21st century
Factors challenging employee well-being include...
Advancements in technology
Rise in dual-income/career families
Lack of job security
Increasing work intensity, load, and hours
Result of '24/7 culture'
Stagnant gender norms pertaining to work and non-work domains
Ageing population (i.e. elderly dependents)
Indicators of healthy work environments:
Work engagement, work -family conflict, Work identity, Depressive symptomsm, Person-job fit, Job satisfaction, Positive linkages or spillover between the work environment, family satisfaction, life satisfaction