The subject of employee wellbeing has become a key talking point in recent years. But what is employee wellbeing? Why should organisations invest in it? Dr Sue Shortland reports on recent research in the field.


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cademic research suggests there is no unanimous definition of wellbeing. It is described in different ways across various disciplines. Hence, definitions and the


components of wellbeing can vary considerably. Wellbeing is sometimes described as the absence of ill- health symptoms. However, the literature suggests that, although the concepts of health and wellbeing overlap, wellbeing amounts to more than just health alone. In a potentially more helpful frame, the literature


regards wellbeing as a subjective state of satisfaction and contentment with one’s quality of life. Wellbeing can include physical, mental, social, emotional and material forms of happiness. So, for example, the components of workplace wellbeing have been reported as including interpersonal relationships, job design and fulfilment, work-life balance, psychological safety and mental, physical and financial health. From this, it is clear that employee wellbeing must be seen as a holistic concept. To address employee wellbeing, employers need to


consider a wide range of components that potentially comprise a subjective state, namely, employee evaluations of how they feel about their working lives. Clearly, this is not a straightforward task. For organisations to address wellbeing successfully, they must identify relevant factors and demonstrate willingness to create the environment that provides the appropriate mix of wellbeing components to enable employees to thrive. But employees will likely have different views as to what wellbeing is and exactly which aspects of it are important to them.


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GLOBAL LEADERSHIP WELLBEING


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