Позитивные изменения. Том 4, №1 (2024). Positive changes. Volume 4, Issue 1 (2024) - Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»

• Five elements of workplace well-being: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, significance, and accomplishments.

• Eight elements of workplace well-being: physical, work-related, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, emotional, financial. Consulting firms specializing in corporate well-being utilize proprietary models (See Table 1).

In recent years, there has been a growing discourse on the digital component of employee well-being.[46]

Figure 1. A model of corporate well-being

Source: Jeffrey et al., 2014

Digital well-being is commonly characterized as an employee’s ability to maintain their health, safety, relationships, and a balance between work and personal life in the digital realm. This also includes leveraging digital tools to achieve personal goals, such as strengthening health and doing sports, participating in community events, and managing one’s digital workloads effectively (Shah, 2019).

It is evident that there are shared components across all the aforementioned models. However, they also share a less obvious commonality. That is, workplace well-being is marked by an employee’s sensation of satisfaction with internal and external factors affecting their well-being (Aryanti, Diah Sari & Widiana, 2020). Thus, well-being factors across all models can be categorized as either external or internal.

Among the external factors that influence the level of well-being at the workplace are: efficient use of time, working conditions, management style, opportunities for career growth, recognition of a job well done, recognition as an individual at work, salary, job security. Internal factors that influence workplace well-being include one’s sense of achievement, personal growth and development, and a sense of responsibility (ibid.). It should be noted that internal factors play a significant role in shaping an individual’s positive self-assessment (“I am valuable,” “I am capable,” “I am responsible”).

A universal model of corporate well-being, developed from literature review, is depicted in Figure 1.

The correlation between employee well-being and organizational effectiveness is increasingly substantiated by research (De Neve, Kaats & Ward, 2023). The higher the level of employee well-being, the greater the labor productivity, client satisfaction, team harmony, working morale, and the lower the risks of burnout and staff turnover (Smurova, 2018).

Ensuring that employees feel content and well within and outside the work process is ultimately more cost-effective than focusing solely on bonuses and contractual obligations (Mercer Marsh Benefits, 2019).

Analysis of literature on corporate well-being factors has led researchers to the following recommendations (Jeffrey et al., 2014):

• Convincing evidence links good health (including a healthy lifestyle) to overall well-being.

• Establishing a proper work-life balance is a key strategy to mitigate one of the primary stress factors at work.

• Enhancing the collective well-being of an organization’s staff can be achieved through equitable remuneration for their work.

• Organizations may adopt diverse employment strategies, such as flexible scheduling or remote work options, to facilitate higher levels of job satisfaction among their employees.

• It has been proven that working with employees to ensure they feel competent in handling their tasks leads to increased job satisfaction and morale.

• Management styles that facilitate dialogue and employee involvement in discussions about the organization’s development are found to be more effective in bolstering workplace well-being.

• Creating a secure work environment and fostering a sense of social significance in the organization’s work can elevate the feeling of job satisfaction among employees.

• Employers can boost job satisfaction by ensuring a good match between job positions and available skills, as well as by providing opportunities for employee development.

• Employees tend to perform better and derive more satisfaction from their work when they have control over their activities, particularly in terms of managing plans, achieving goals, and ensuring work quality.

• Enhancing interpersonal relationships at work, especially between staff and management, can lead to increased satisfaction not only with the job but also with life in general.

It should be noted that the volume of research and publications on this topic is rather limited.

Researchers observe that within the NGO sector, the significance of internal values often surpasses that of external factors in contributing to employee well-being (Navajas-Romero, López del Río & Ceular-Villamandos, 2020). However, contemporary studies suggest that this alone is insufficient for realizing the noblest of intentions and achieving set objectives. Such an approach is also considered outdated in the context of enhancing NGO employee well-being. It is imperative to consider external factors in management to prevent errors, safeguard against employee burnout, and avoid a decrease in motivation and loyalty (ibid.).

For NGO leaders, the team of employees is deemed a critical resource; investing in team improvement positively impacts organizational climate and promotes corporate well-being (ibid.).

A study examining international NGO approaches to personnel care (Porter & Emmens, 2009) reveals a far-from-ideal state of affairs. And this is despite the fact that such NGOs have much more resources and opportunities in comparison with smaller NGOs focused on local community issues. The study’s key findings indicate the following:

• Personnel care practices in the NGOs examined are inconsistent, and often, existing guidelines (or minimum standards) are not adhered to.

• While all of these organizations implement some measures targeting specific aspects of personnel care, only one third have a clear and distinct policy in place.

• There is a lack of consensus on the definitions concerning staff