Antecedents of Psychological Well-Being among Swedish Audit Firm Employees

Abstract

The attractiveness of audit firms as employers appears to have decreased in recent years and the audit profession is currently experiencing high employee turnover. A shortage of personnel increases the risk of long-term stress and illness. This paper therefore proposes audit firm employees’ well-being as an important research topic and explores the antecedents of well-being of Swedish audit firm employees in comparison with those of other business professionals. Based on a nationwide survey of members of the Swedish association of business professionals, with a focus on psychological well-being (measured through General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12)), the study shows that the psychological well-being of the professionals in this study generally aligns with the results from similar studies in a Swedish context. However, the findings indicate that audit industry respondents have the lowest psychological well-being and that employer change, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction were the strongest antecedents of their psychological well-being.

Are Chinese Entrepreneurs Happier than Employees? Evidence Based on a National Workforce Survey in China

“…To reduce potential confounding effects, several variables commonly thought to correlate with job-related wellbeing were controlled for both steps of the study. The personal characteristics were measured by a region variable (0 = rural, 1 = urban) [ 22 ], a gender variable (0 = female, 1 = male) [ 22 , 25 ], an age group variable (1 = 20 or below, 2 = 21–30, 3 = 31–40, 4 = above 40) [ 22 ], marital status (0 = unmarried, 1 = married) [ 22 ], education (1 = college or below, 2 = bachelor, 3 = master, 4 = doctor) [ 3 , 23 ], working hours per week (1 = 20 h or below, 2 = 21–40 h, 3 = 41–60 h, 4 = 61–80 h, 5 = above 80 h) [ 3 , 24 , 29 ], annual income (1 = RMB 10,000 or below, 2 = RMB 10,001–50,000, 3 = RMB 50,001–100,000, 4 = RMB 100,001–150,000, 5 = RMB 150,000 or above) [ 22 , 25 , 29 ], and industry variables which are consist of 9 type of industries, including civil service(reference group in the first step), farming/mining(0 = no, 1 = yes), manufacturing(dummy variable 0 = no, 1 = yes in the first step, reference group in the second step), power supply/construction/geological exploration/hydraulic management(0 = no, 1 = yes), transportation and network(0 = no, 1 = yes), whole/retail/restaurant(0 = no, 1 = yes), real state/finance(0 = no, 1 = yes), science/education/arts/health/media/social service(0 = no, 1 = yes), and others(0 = no, 1 = yes) [ 23 , 24 , 29 ].…”

“…The classic “Easterlin paradox” also shows a complex relationship between income and wellbeing and reminds us that different regions could influence the relationship aforementioned through different economic characters [ 22 ]. Work which has always been considered a pivotal aspect of life, affect wellbeing from working time and industry by the trade-off between leisure and time spent to work [ 23 , 24 ]. The gender difference in wellbeing results from the gender gap in life expectation, which may be influenced by education [ 25 ].…”

The Mediating Effect of Life Satisfaction on Relation between Perceived Physical Attractiveness and Health-Promoting Lifestyle in Korean Adults

“…The perception of physical attractiveness leads to satisfaction with body image, and such body satisfaction affects emotional and psychological well-being as a prerequisite for life satisfaction. [10][11][12]. A study of healthy individuals over the age of 50 in Spain found that perceived physical attraction had a strong relationship with life satisfaction [13].…”

“…Life satisfaction is the vital precursor of psychological well-being and mental health [11]. Moreover, lower life satisfaction is associated with a higher mortality rate of cardiovascular disease, healthcare service utilization, and costs [14,15].…”

Accountancy as a Meaningful Work. Main Determinants from a Job Quality and Optimization Algorithm Approach

“…Young people who enter the profession appreciate other aspects, such as expert learning, security, or meaningful work [72,73]. However, the remuneration is low among the junior professionals of the audit firms, compared to other professional services, and a lower level of well-being is observed [74]. These authors consider that the remuneration at the first stages is not competitive compared to other business professionals.…”