In this zone, we critically examine the concept of health and well-being and evaluate whether organisations are doing enough to promote the welfare of their most valuable assets.
Work is an innate and necessary part of our everyday lives. On average, we spend an estimated onethird of our lives at work.47 Indeed, the ever-increasing, blurred lines between our home and work lives caused, in part, by the twenty-first century, hyperconnected workplace, has meant that many of us find it difficult, if not impossible at times, to leave our work at the door when we finish for the day and leave our personal lives at the door when we arrive at work.48 This inability to achieve equilibrium between our work and home lives (Critical Thinking Zone: Reflections on Work–Life Balance), has created a culture whereby individuals may succumb to organisational pressures and behavioural norms to put their jobs before their families and personal lives by working longer hours, resulting in excessive strain and burnout.49 Moreover, Caicedo et al.50 profess that other workplace stressors, such as incessant organisational change, staff shortages and poor relationships with managers and colleagues, may have a negative effect on overall health and well-being and, as a consequence, reduce productivity and organisational effectiveness. Hence, the promulgation of debate and research in health and well- being in the past two decades.48,51 Employee well-being is an inclusive and complex concept, with its roots embedded in a multiplicity of fields, including HRM, healthcare, psychology, sociology and organisational behaviour.51, 52 It is a major concern for organisations as it can have both a positive and negative influence on individual and organisational performance.
Well-being can be defined as the overall quality of work experienced by the individual in the workplace.
53 This feeds into the quality of work life construct, which Sirgy et al. 54 define as ‘employee satisfaction with a variety of needs through resources, activities and outcomes stemming from participation in the workplace.’ Yeo and Li55 proffer that individuals perceive they have attained a quality of work life, and thus satisfaction, when their primary expectations are appropriately met. One could argue that these are the same expectations and obligations that are subjectively perceived via the transactional, relational and balanced psychological contracts individuals may have formed with the organisation56, 57 (Critical Thinking Zone: Reflections on the Psychological Contract). Furthermore, Sirgy et al. and Yeo and Li contend that the expectations that are shrouded within the quality of work life construct are associated with the satisfaction of various needs on Maslow’s Hierarchy. For example, satisfaction with: workplace facilities (physical needs); compensation and benefits (security needs); opportunities to engage in social networking and collaboration (affiliation needs); autonomy and decision making (esteem needs) and strategic planning and involvement (self-actualisation needs).
On a slightly different note, Fisher58 likens wellbeing to ‘happiness’, which is manifest in positive attitudes, good moods and emotions. She suggests that experiencing feelings of happiness are also linked to high levels of job satisfaction, employee engagement and affective organisational commitment; again, symptomatic of a relational psychological contract.
According to Grant et al.,52 employee well-being is premised on three main dimensions. First, the psychological dimension relates to happiness and the subjective, positive experiences individuals have in the workplace. Second, physical health and well-being encapsulate aspects of stress, injuries and diseases and the provision of healthcare services as part of, for example, employee assistance programmes.59 Third, the social well-being dimension characterises the quality of peer and hierarchical relationships in the workplace.
The three dimensions are mirrored in the World Health Organization’s depiction of the concept of health. They define it as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.’60 As we can see, there are clear definitional overlaps between health and well-being. This is also recognised by the Department of Health.61 who argue that ‘there is a two-way relationship between well-being and health: health influences well-being and well-being itself influences health.’ The evidential interrelationship between the two concepts have a significant influence on organisational behaviour in the workplace. This recognition can enable managers to develop strategies to promote a quality of work life that is conducive to commitment, engagement, productivity and, arguably, a positive relational psychological contract.
The CIPD’s research reported that many organisations are proactively adopting a range of initiatives to support and manage individuals with disabilities, mental health issues and long-term health conditions, such as flexible working and access to employee assistance programmes that offer counselling and occupational health services.59 However, Cooper and Suff62 caveat that organisations need to become more conscious of the micro and macroenvironmental complexities surrounding people’s lives, which may negatively impact on their overall welfare. Organisations can thus provide individuals with key emotional support from managers, which has been evidenced to decrease burnout and the negative effects of other health-related issues,63 along with tailored support, such as the initiatives mentioned above. This may ensure that individuals remain a valued part of the workforce and retain their knowledge, skills and experience within the business.
To conclude, although evidence suggests that organisations are generally promoting health and well-being in the workplace, The CIPD48 caveat that too many are not taking employee well-being seriously enough and therefore not doing enough to facilitate a healthy, happy and harmonious workplace. If, as espoused, people are an organisation’s greatest asset, managers need to supplement their rhetoric with proactivity, place the health and well-being of their workforce high on the strategic agenda and thus foster a good quality of work life that generates tangible benefits for all parties concerned in the people-organisation relationship.

1.Evidence suggests that health and well-being are inextricably linked, bonded by a two-way relationship.

With reference to theory, critically analyse the key similarities and differences between the concepts.

2.Quality of work life is an importance construct within the health and well-being debate. Critically evaluate the link between the construct and transactional, relational and balanced psychological contracts.

What are the implications for organisational behaviour in the workplace?

3.The CIPD advocates that organisations should be more conscious of the micro and macroenvironmental complexities surrounding people’s lives and how they impact on their health and well-being. How can organisations do this in practice?