Does Gratitude Ensure Workplace Happiness Among University Teachers? Examining the Role of Social and Psychological Capital and Spiritual Climate

Abstract

The study examines the necessity and sufficiency of gratitude for supporting workplace happiness among Indian university teachers. It also explores the mediating effect of psychological capital and social capital in the relationship between gratitude and workplace happiness. The moderating effect of spiritual climate is investigated. A survey of 726 university staff in India was undertaken to examine the relationship between gratitude and workplace happiness. A series of statistical tests involving correlation, multiple regression, and necessary condition analysis was undertaken from the data set. The mediation effect of psychological capital and social capital was investigated using bootstrapping estimates using PROCESS Macro in SPSS. Also, the moderation effect of spiritual climate was explored using PROCESS Macro in SPSS. The results reveal that gratitude is both a sufficient and necessary condition for workplace happiness. It also suggests a significant mediating effect of psychological capital and social capital. Also, a significant effect of spiritual climate amid the relationship between gratitude and workplace happiness is concluded. The study is one of the first studies that explore the relationship between gratitude and workplace happiness. It examines the mechanism through which gratitude influences happiness in the workplace.

Promoting well-being through happiness at work: a systematic literature review and future research agenda

“…Positive organizational behavior antecedents: The next group of prominent factors influencing HAW consists of the variables that fall under the ambit of positive organizational behavior such as organizational virtuousness, hope, optimism, resilience, spirit of camaraderie, subjective happiness, well-being oriented HRM, and gratitude (Benevene et al ., 2019; Garg et al ., 2022; Rego et al ., 2009; Salas-Vallina et al ., 2021; Youssef and Luthans, 2007). The review’s findings emphasized that these positive behaviors displayed by employees promote a supportive work culture of growth and positivity, contributing to the overall well-being and HAW (Youssef and Luthans, 2007).…”

“…On the other hand, a subset of selected studies employed several moderators to understand the organizational factors influencing the association between HAW and other positive organizational constructs. The spirit of camaraderie (Rego and Cunha, 2009), self-concordant motivation (Tadić et al ., 2013), job demands and resources (Wijngaards et al ., 2019), psychological capital (Basinska and Rozkwitalska, 2022), and spiritual climate (Garg et al ., 2022) are some of the key moderators that are supposed to strengthen the relationship between HAW and its antecedents and consequences. For example, self-concordant motivation can moderate the relationship between job demands and HAW, while spiritual climate in organizations can impact the strength of the association between gratitude and HAW.…”

“…The review's findings emphasized that these positive behaviors displayed by employees promote a supportive work culture of growth and positivity, contributing to the overall well-being and HAW (Youssef and Luthans, 2007). For example, the feeling of gratitude among organizational members is pivotal and essential for escalating HAW (Garg et al, 2022). Similarly, organizational virtuousness (OV), characterized by positive, ethical and moral behaviors, is a crucial promoter of uplifting happiness (Rego et al, 2010;Williams et al, 2016Williams et al, , 2017.…”

Model analysis of private teachers' innovative work behavior improvement after the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In the context of classroom learning, if a teacher can spread a sense of happiness to his students, it will create a productive classroom atmosphere, encouraging teachers to make work more innovative. Previous research examining the association between creative work behavior and workplace satisfaction found a strong correlation between the two [35], [27].…”

Exploring the influence of the spiritual climate on psychological empowerment among nurses in China: a cross-sectional study

“…A study conducted in China verified the mediating role of spiritual climate in the relationship between burnout and turnover intention, revealing that nurses in a positive spiritual climate were less likely to experience burnout or thoughts about leaving [ 21 ]. Moreover, studies have shown that a spiritual climate at work enhances employees’ well-being, work engagement, caring behaviour, and job satisfaction [ 22 – 25 ]. Work meaning is one of the fundamental aspects of psychological empowerment [ 13 ].…”