Human resource management and employee well‐being: towards a new analytic framework

Abstract

The mutual gains model suggests that HRM should benefit both individuals and organisations. However, the dominant models within HRM theory and research continue to focus largely on ways to improve performance, with employee concerns very much a secondary consideration. Furthermore, pressures at work and in society more widely are creating an increasing threat to employee well-being. If employee concerns and the threats to well-being are to be taken seriously, a different analytic framework for HRM is required. The article sets out an alternative approach to HRM that gives priority to practices designed to enhance well-being and a positive employment relationship, proposing that both elements are essential. Evidence is presented to support the choice of practices and to argue that these also hold the potential to improve both individual and organisational performance. It therefore offers a different path to mutual gains. The research and policy implications of this approach are discussed.

Well-being and HRM in the changing workplace

“…Guest (2017) also made reference to this potential gap in extant research. In response to this, and in support of our own argument, consideration of some of the current and key economic and social conditions will be presented here which can further contextualise the landscape for the potential effects of HR policies and practices on employee well-being, and the subsequent implications for HRM professionals.…”

“…Joyce et al, 2010), it is also important to consider the impact that external context (e.g. Godard, 2004;Guest, 2017) such as national and international employment and trade legislation can have on the employee experience, 'acceptable' HR policies and practices, and the geographical movement of labour. Often these factors can be overlooked, however, in the current political and economic climate, an indication of such factors can influence how we frame research questions and research design and also may enable scholars to interpret research findings more meaningfully.…”

“…As prominent scholars in the field call for greater emphasis on well-being (Guest, 2017) and for more evidence-based practice (Briner & Walshe, 2015), a better understanding of the contextual working environment and of the nuances observed across various sectors, professions, job roles and individuals can only serve to enhance the evidence available to HRM scholars and practitioners alike, with regard to the relationship between HR practices and employee well-being. Furthermore, a number of scholars have identified the need to shift research in this field to having a greater focus on job design, job quality and structural issues in the workplace.…”

Well‐being‐oriented human resource management practices and employee performance in the Chinese banking sector: The role of social climate and resilience

“…Our article builds on a recent call by Jiang et al () to further examine the mediating mechanisms across multiple levels of analysis to extend the academic and practitioner understanding of the process through which HRM may impact performance. It also responds to Guest's () call for a new theoretical approach to enhancing employee well‐being through HRM. Guest () conceptualizes well‐being‐oriented HRM practices as designed to promote investment in employees (e.g., training, development, and learning), provision of engaging work (e.g., jobs with appropriate workload, role clarity and employee control, and information sharing), a positive social and physical environment (e.g., employment security and teams), employee voice (e.g., extensive two‐way communication between management and employees), and organizational support (e.g., participative and supportive management).…”

“…Guest (, p. 22) argues the “search for a link between HRM and performance has been pursued at the expense of concern for employee well‐being” and “what is therefore needed is a different approach to HRM that is more likely to enhance employee well‐being but which may also offer an alternative route to high performance.” This is an important argument given contemporary workplace challenges such as increased job stress associated with the lack of employment security and work intensification, and the growing interest in sustainable and ethical HRM practices (Voegtlin & Greenwood, ). There has also been growing interest among HR practitioners in positive psychology.…”