The Development of a Theoretical Framework for the Management and Promotion of Employee Wellbeing within Large UK-Based Organisations

Abstract

Employee wellbeing and its associated issues affect the majority of people in the UK; directly in the case of employees themselves, and indirectly in the case of their dependents. While interest in this area has been growing for a number of years, from both an academic and a practitioner perspective, there is still a lack of clarity regarding the key issues in the field and the actions required in order for progress to be made for both employees and their organisations.

The primary objective of this study is to develop a new theoretical framework for the management and promotion of employee wellbeing within large UK-based organisations. It answers Danna and Griffin's (1999) call for a framework which brings together the contributions in the field and which is grounded in theory.

The research is qualitative in nature and employs an approach which combines aspects of thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) and abduction (Timmermans and Tavory, 2012). Data in the study was collected through 25 semi-structured interviews which were conducted with two complementary interviewee groups. The first interviewee group was made up of individuals responsible for employee wellbeing within large UK-based organisations. The second group was made up of leaders of employee wellbeing consulting and/or service provision companies operating in the UK. Three alternative theoretical perspectives were used in the analysis of the data in the study: Job Demands-Resources Theory; Human Capital Theory; and Corporate Social Responsibility Theory. These three perspectives each illuminated a different aspect of the data whilst at the same time complementing one another.

One of the key merits of the framework developed in this study is that it is of value to both academics and practitioners alike. It can be used by academics to facilitate an understanding of the dynamics in the current situation and also in planning future research which will help advance the field. It can also be used by practitioners in developing an understanding of their own company’s situation and in building a business case for taking action in the area. The study supports the idea that organisations have a joint responsibility, alongside employees themselves, for the wellbeing of their workforce and that positive action on the side of organisations has the potential to be beneficial for all parties involved.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Dundee
Supervisor	Robin Roslender (Supervisor) & Lissa Monk (Supervisor)