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Article
Publication date: 6 June 2019

Mark Somers, Dee Birnbaum and Jose Casal

The purpose of this paper is to investigate profiles of employee well-being using multiple components to better understand how well-being is experienced in organizations.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate profiles of employee well-being using multiple components to better understand how well-being is experienced in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey design with 579 health care workers in the USA was administered. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify well-being profile groups.

Findings

Six well-being profile groups based on the relative levels of work stress, carry-over stress and job satisfaction were identified. Profile groups differed with respect to intention to remain in the organization and occupation, and job search behavior.

Practical implications

Models of well-being at work have generated consistently disappointing results that have not enhanced the development of programs to increase well-being at work. By identifying patterns of well-being, this study offers insights into how well-being is experienced so that more targeted programs to promote it can be implemented.

Originality/value

Although there is increased interest in the person-centered model in organizational research, it has not been applied to psychological well-being at work. This study represents an initial attempt to study configurations of well-being based on its components. Results indicate that distinct patterns of well-being are present, and those patterns are useful in gaining a greater understanding of how well-being is experienced and in how it can be more effectively managed.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 41 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 2 October 2012

Mindy K. Shoss and Tahira M. Probst

Employees today face a number of threats to their work and financial well-being (i.e., economic stress). In an aim to provide an agenda and theoretical framework for research on…

Abstract

Employees today face a number of threats to their work and financial well-being (i.e., economic stress). In an aim to provide an agenda and theoretical framework for research on multilevel outcomes of economic stress, the current chapter considers how employees’ economic stress gives rise to emergent outcomes and how these emergent outcomes feed back to influence well-being. Specifically, we draw from Conservation of Resources theory to integrate competing theoretical perspectives with regard to employees’ behavioral responses to economic stress. As employees’ behaviors influence those with whom they interact, we propose that behavioral responses to economic stress have implications for group-level well-being (e.g., interpersonal climate, cohesion) and group-level economic stress. In turn, group-level and individual-level behavioral outcomes influence well-being and economic stress in a multilevel resource loss cycle. We discuss potential opportunities and challenges associated with testing this model as well as how it could be used to examine higher-level emergent effects (e.g., at the organizational level).

Details

The Role of the Economic Crisis on Occupational Stress and Well Being
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-005-5

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2012

Nazira Visram, Adrian Roberts and Patience Seebohm

This article aims to describe how a self‐help group for people with cancer helped members regain mental well‐being. It is set within the context of the ESTEEM project which aims…

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to describe how a self‐help group for people with cancer helped members regain mental well‐being. It is set within the context of the ESTEEM project which aims to develop guidelines for health and social care professionals on how to support self‐help groups.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is based on personal experience of belonging to the self‐help group. It also draws on a participatory qualitative study of 21 self‐help groups concerned with a range of health and social issues, carried out for the ESTEEM project.

Findings

Group members regained a sense of control over their lives, developed supportive relationships and participated in collective activities. They saw other members redefine their identity, not as victims but as people with a purpose in life. Early findings from the ESTEEM project suggest that other self‐help groups similarly promote social inclusion and mental well‐being.

Research limitations/implications

ESTEEM is a three stage programme still underway and conclusions are not yet finalised. Interview questions did not focus on well‐being; the association emerged during analysis.

Practical implications

The authors argue that the member‐led nature of self‐help groups is safe and effective in promoting well‐being. Top‐down monitoring and evaluation requirements are unhelpful.

Social implications

This article and the ESTEEM project aim to increase the options available to commissioners and professionals wishing to promote mental well‐being.

Originality/value

Self‐help groups are seldom mentioned in the literature on well‐being. This article starts to fill this gap.

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2021

John A. Gonzalez, Heeyun Kim and Allyson Flaster

The purpose of this study is to examine doctoral students’ developmental trajectories in well-being and disciplinary identity during the first three years of doctoral study.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine doctoral students’ developmental trajectories in well-being and disciplinary identity during the first three years of doctoral study.

Design/methodology/approach

This study relies on data from a longitudinal study of PhD students enrolled at a large, research-intensive university in the USA. A group-based trajectory modeling approach is used to examine varying trajectories of well-being and disciplinary identity.

Findings

The authors find that students’ physical health, mental health and disciplinary identity generally decline during the first few years of doctoral study. Despite this common downward trend, the results suggest that six different developmental trajectories exist. Students’ backgrounds and levels of stress, psychological needs satisfaction, anticipatory socialization experiences and prior academic success predict group membership.

Originality/value

Although there is emergent evidence of a mental health crisis in graduate education scant evidence exists about the way in which well-being changes over time as students progress through their doctoral studies. There is also little evidence of how these changes might be related to academic processes such as the development of disciplinary identity. This study reported varying baseline degrees of well-being and disciplinary identity and offers that stress and unmet psychological needs might be partially responsible for varying trajectories.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 January 2021

Aswini Kumar Mishra and Vedant Bhardwaj

This paper analyzes the welfare implications of the unequal distribution of wealth amongst the social and religious groups by studying the segregation of these groups across…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper analyzes the welfare implications of the unequal distribution of wealth amongst the social and religious groups by studying the segregation of these groups across different occupations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use measures suggested by Alonso-Villar and Río (2017) and del Río and Alonso-Villar (2018) to compute the well-being of social groups (based on caste system prevalent in the Indian subcontinent) and religious groups due to their segregation across different regions (urban and rural) and occupations and social welfare loss of the society due to the segregation. Here social groups comprise of ST: Scheduled Tribe, SC: Scheduled Caste, OBC: Other Backward Caste and Others: other remaining castes; while, religious groups comprise of followers of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and other religious groups.

Findings

The result shows that SC and ST groups are worse; while, the “others” group is better off due to the segregation of social groups across both regions and occupation. Similarly, in the case of religious groups, the analysis reveals that followers of Christianity are better off due to the segregation across region and occupation. It further shows that followers of Hinduism are negatively impacted while followers of Islam and other religious groups were better off due to the segregation across the regions.

Originality/value

Various researchers have studied the wealth inequality and unequal distribution in India over the years but did not dive further into the welfare implications of segregation of social and religious groups from wealth perspectives in India.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 48 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 September 2014

Jürgen Faik and Uwe Fachinger

In the wake of the Stiglitz Commission, we assess German economic well-being by considering income, wealth and consumption. A decomposition approach is used to test for…

Abstract

In the wake of the Stiglitz Commission, we assess German economic well-being by considering income, wealth and consumption. A decomposition approach is used to test for corresponding inequality differences of these well-being dimensions. Total inequality is decomposed into within- and between-group inequality (via a normalised coefficient of variation). The decompositions are categorised into those that refer to socio-demographic characteristics (place of residence, age, household type) and those belonging to different well-being (sub-)categories (potential and net income, expenditure and wealth categories). The empirical analyses are performed for Germany using the 2008 German Sample Survey of Income and Expenditure. By decomposing German well-being inequality in great detail, we shed light on its dimensions. Our analyses illustrate that it is necessary to consider all well-being dimensions to make statements about the material well-being of private households or individuals.

Details

Economic Well-Being and Inequality: Papers from the Fifth ECINEQ Meeting
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-556-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2021

Fryni Panayidou and Benjamin Priest

This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of PhD support groups as an intervention that improves mental well-being and increases confidence in timely PhD completion.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of PhD support groups as an intervention that improves mental well-being and increases confidence in timely PhD completion.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants of six PhD support groups, which we co-facilitated, completed a survey at the start of the intervention and at the end of the eight weeks of attendance. The survey measured subjective well-being and confidence in completion using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and statements from the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (2017 and 2019). The final survey also included open-ended questions to identify the helpful factors of the intervention.

Findings

Participants’ subjective well-being scores increased considerably over the eight weeks of group attendance and improved from initial score ranges associated with risk of depression or psychological distress. As a result of feeling understood and supported by other group members, participants felt less isolated and anxious, were more satisfied with their life and work-life balance, and felt more confident about completing their PhD within the institutional time frame. The results confirm previous findings on the positive effects of social support and the relationship between poor well-being and attrition.

Practical implications

Support groups could form an integral part of university support as they increase well-being and could improve retention.

Originality/value

Existing literature mainly highlights factors that affect postgraduate researchers’ well-being, with limited research on innovative interventions. This paper investigates the impact of social support in a facilitated peer group that focuses on the emotional and psychological aspects of the PhD experience, rather than peer group learning or support with specific research tasks.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 17 March 2020

Svea Lübstorf and Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock

Maintaining and protecting employee well-being and health is of paramount importance for organizations in order to prevent financial losses due to illness, absenteeism, and…

Abstract

Maintaining and protecting employee well-being and health is of paramount importance for organizations in order to prevent financial losses due to illness, absenteeism, and fluctuation. This chapter discusses the role of team meetings for employee well-being. As the contemporary workplace is shaped by team work, team meetings increasingly shape employees’ experiences at work. As such, team meetings may also have a major influence on employee well-being as they consume large amounts of time and thus strongly influence workers’ schedules. While previous research has predominantly focused on negative aspects of meetings and mainly considered them as a workplace stressor, this chapter advances a positive perspective on meetings as opportunities for boosting rather than impairing employee well-being. Upon reviewing the extant evidence about linkages between workplace meetings and well-being, the authors highlight the role of team dynamics during meetings for individual well-being and suggest new perspectives for future research. The authors also discuss actionable implications for structuring and facilitating meetings in order to avoid negative and increase positive effects of team meeting interactions on employee well-being.

Details

Managing Meetings in Organizations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-227-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2015

Stephen Linacre, Suzanne Heywood-Everett, Vishal Sharma and Andrew J. Hill

Around 50 per cent of carers of people with eating disorders (EDs) experience mental health difficulties. The purpose of this paper is to investigate well-being of carers of…

Abstract

Purpose

Around 50 per cent of carers of people with eating disorders (EDs) experience mental health difficulties. The purpose of this paper is to investigate well-being of carers of people with ED and carers of people with severe and enduring eating disorders (SEEDs).

Design/methodology/approach

Carers (n=104) were recruited from UK support groups and stratified using duration of the care recipient’s ED (0-2, 2-6, > 6 years), with the > 6 years category classified as SEED. Data were compared with existing carer well-being studies of other patient groups.

Findings

Carers of people with SEED were not significantly different on reported well-being to carers of people with ED. However, carers of people with ED reported significantly less well-being than community norms, carers of people with brain injury and of people with dementia. Specifically, poorer social functioning was reported.

Research limitations/implications

Further research on carers of people with SEED is warranted as carers of people with SEED were not equally balanced in gender. It would be beneficial if support groups and skill-based workshops were more available for carers.

Originality/value

This is the first known study to compare carer well-being of people with SEED with carers of other clinical populations. Further research is required to identify the needs of carers.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 July 2023

Margarietha de Villiers Scheepers, Paul Williams, Vikki Schaffer, Anthony Grace, Carl Walling, Jenna Campton, Karen Hands, Deborah Fisher, Hannah Banks, Jo Loth and Aurora Scheelings

In contrast to prior studies examining burnout in academic employees, this paper explores how academic employee agency mitigates burnout risks in the context of the coronavirus…

Abstract

Purpose

In contrast to prior studies examining burnout in academic employees, this paper explores how academic employee agency mitigates burnout risks in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and how this agency facilitates research productivity and influences well-being in the face of changes in learning and teaching practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use collaborative auto-ethnography (CAE) in the higher education (HE) sector to probe how an employee productivity group supported the group's members during the pandemic.

Findings

Thematic analysis revealed four emerging themes: burnout, beneficial habits for research productivity, blocking-out-time and belonging. The authors' findings suggest that by acknowledging and legitimising employee-initiated groups, feelings of neglect can be combatted. Purposeful employee groups have the potential to create a therapeutic, safe space and, in addition to the groups' productivity intent, diminish the negative effects of a crisis on organisational effectiveness.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by utilising a CAE approach to provide greater insight into how academics enact agency by creating digital research workspaces, attending to the spatial dimensions of well-being especially during turbulent times.

Details

Qualitative Research Journal, vol. 23 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1443-9883

Keywords

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