How to create mutual benefit for employees and employers.
Chien-Hung Wu, I-Shen Chen, & Jia-Chern Chen. (2017). A Study into the Impact of Employee Wellness and Job Satisfaction on Job Performance. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 10(2), 253–269.
This study is about the relationship between employee health, job satisfaction, job performance, and how they can affect each other. It hypothesizes that: 1.Employee health has a noticeably positive impact on job performance; 2.Employee health has a noticeably positive impact on job satisfaction; 3.Job satisfaction has a noticeably positive impact on job performance. The study is based on 433 questionnaires that were given to a variety of people working in different kinds of organizations over a period of 12 months. They then analyzed the results of the questionnaires to try and find any correlations. The results supported each of their three hypotheses. Based on the results they suggest that organizations wanting to increase performance should place an emphasis on employee health and well-being. Doing so will aid in several areas of the organization and employees’ satisfaction. This article showcases the mutual benefits that can occur when an organization invests in their employees’ well-being. Specific areas of employee wellness are further discussed in our other articles. The psychological side of employee wellness is analyzed in the article, “More than Meets the Eye: The Role of Employee Well-Being in Organizational Research,” while their physical health is focused on in the article, “Study Job Performance and shifting the movement paradigm in workplaces.”
Das, B. M., Mailey, E., Murray, K., Phillips, S. M., Torres, C., & King, A. C. (2016). From sedentary to active: Shifting the movement paradigm in workplaces. Work, 54(2), 481–487.
This article discusses strategies for increasing physical activity at work. It emphasizes the importance of changing workplace norms through policy, environmental, and programmatic changes. Drawing from behavioral economics, it is suggested that behavior change at the individual level may be achieved by changing organizational culture. In effect, impacting all three levels of OB – organizational, group, and individual. Suggestions are evidence-based and include both short- and long-term options, useful for providing practical, empirical recommendations in our blog.
Health benefits related to physical activity are well documented at the individual level but their impact for employers had not been substantially quantified at the time of this article. More rigorous research was needed to understand potential benefits such as reductions in medical, healthcare, and absenteeism costs as well as reductions in presenteeism. The article, “Do Workplace Wellness Programs Work?” published in 2016, quantifies financial benefits such as reductions in absenteeism and disability costs. The article, “A Study into the Impact of Employee Wellness and Job Satisfaction on Job Performance,” qualifies additional employer benefit in the form of increased job performance.
Elia, J., & Rouse, M. J. (2016). Do Workplace Wellness Programs Work? Plans & Trusts, 34(5), 12–17.
This article analyzes the impact of implementing wellness programs within companies to improve employee engagement and control absenteeism/disability costs. The article is supported by a two-year study that compared two groups within different companies. Both groups were given the same questionnaires – one group acted as a control group while the other was introduced to wellness programs including a lifestyle modification program, wellness website/resources, and individual one-on-one coaching. The findings demonstrated how the experimental group (and that company) benefited from applying wellness programs in the workplace, both financially and through employee engagement. The success of the experimental group was based heavily on how involved management was with employees by communicating, identifying target programs, and ensuring company values.
The wellness programs implemented in the experimental group focused on improving physical activity and healthy eating. The article supported the positive impact on both employees and their company in that regard. There are other factors that should be addressed relating to employee wellness including mental health programs and other wellness packages such as maternity and paternity leave. The psychological side of employee well-being is a component addressed in the article, “More than Meets the Eye: The Role of Employee Well-Being in Organizational Research.”
Inceoglu, I., Thomas, G., Chu, C., Plans, D., & Gerbasi, A. (2018, February 27). Leadership behavior and employee well-being: An integrated review and a future research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, Volume 29(Issue 1), Pages 179-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.12.006.
This source is a tool to provide quality research that supports our overarching question of how to create a mutual benefit to employees and employers. This journal focuses on the topics of employee wellness (hedonic and eudaimonic forms of well-being) in correlation with different kinds of leadership strategies. It provides research and results of different kinds of management behavior and how they influence the performance and well-being of employees. In contrast, the source titled “Do Workplace Wellness Programs Work?” refers to one specific research project in order to come up with a conclusion for which wellness programs work the best.
This article details five different types of mediator/leader groupings (“social-cognitive, motivational, affective, relational, identification”) and how each of their processes that underlie the management behavior-employee well-being affect relationships. Considering this article focuses on leadership behavior, it can be considered heavily influenced by organizational behavior theories. The authors of this journal take information and research results from other credible sources in order to come up with their own results, wellness program methods, implications, and conclusions regarding which leadership pathways continually demonstrate the best results for employee well-being and the relationships between leaders, mediators, and employees.
Wright, T. A. (2009). More than Meets the Eye: The Role of Employee Well-Being in Organizational Research. Oxford Handbooks Online. Doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195335446.013.0012
This article focuses on the psychological side of employee well-being, from historical views of psychological well-being (PWB) to how PWB affects cardiovascular health. Throughout the article, the main emphasis is on PWB and the effects that it has on employees. It also discusses how it affects different aspects of management such as employee turnover rate, hiring employees, and training strategies that can be used by employers. The article explains how the betterment of PWB in the workplace is very beneficial for the employees and the company as a whole.
The psychological component of well-being is an additional piece not addressed by others in this list such as the article, “From sedentary to active: Shifting the movement paradigm in workplaces,” which focuses exclusively on applications of physical activity.
By Cassidy Cloward, Landon Overturf, Calum Reid, Mariana Rodriguez, and Kayla Wiest
*All authors contributed equally to this work