A Test of Two Positive Psychology Interventions to Increase Employee Well-Being (original) (raw)
Related papers
Journal of Academy of Business and Economics, 2017
Purpose: The current study is examining the efficiency of 5 days gratitude intervention where to list 3 things that employee was grateful for at workplace in daily basis. Method: The design of the study is experimental design that uses two groups, gratitude and control. It uses also work related intervention journaling-listing approach. The sample is employees in education and retailer sectors in Bahrain (N=145). Participants are measured at two point of time pre-test and post-test.The measurements used are self-report five scales; dispositional gratitude questionnaire, subjective well-being questionnaire, Positive and negative affect scale, Job satisfaction questionnaire and Affective Organizational Commitment. In addition, two questions to explore how employee evaluate their gratefulness towards specific events, people and experience and how do they prefer their managers to express their gratitude towards them at work.Findings: In term of the demographic result, most of the participants are female 56%, belongs to (24-30) age group, 90% from education sector, 80% are married, 65% earns average monthly income between 751 and 1000, 73% are bachelor holders and 97% Muslims. The outcomes have revealed that the gratitude intervention used was not effective since the independent t-test was not statistically significance. 91% of employees preferred word of gratitude and thankfulness from their boss as an appreciation expression towards them. More than 97% of the participants were grateful to their good health and to theirfamily, spouse, children and parents.Conclusion and recommendation: The insignificant results of the used intervention in the current study may suggest for future studies to consider other methods to facilitate gratitude in the workplace. Finally, Gratitude is important in both general life and work place. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
This paper systematically reviews research investigating the effects of positive psychology interventions applied in the organizational context. We characterize a positive psychology intervention as any intentional activity or method that is based on (a) the cultivation of positive subjective experiences, (b) the building of positive individual traits, or (c) the building of civic virtue and positive institutions. A systematic literature search identified 15 studies that examined the effects of such an intervention in organizational contexts. Subsequent analyses of those studies revealed that positive psychology interventions seem to be a promising tool for enhancing employee well-being and performance. As a sideeffect, positive psychology interventions also tend to diminish stress and burnout and to a lesser extent depression and anxiety. Implications of those findings for theory and praxis and recommendations for future research on positive psychology interventions in organizations are discussed.
Impact of happiness-enhancing activities and positive practices on employee well-being
Journal of Asia Business Studies, 2021
Purpose Psychology studies have gradually evolved in the past decades from examining negative to positive states of mind. This has led to an increasing interest in understanding the well-being of individuals. Further, organizational research has demonstrated a positive impact of employee well-being on key business indicators. Drawing from positive psychology, this study examines the impact of happiness-enhancing activities and positive practices (HAPP) on employee well-being. Design/methodology/approach This study was conducted in an emerging information technology firm in India. Using validated measures, this study designed an online survey that was completed by 54 employees of the firm. Findings Employees largely perceived the HAPP as important but reported low levels of engagement in most activities or practices. Using hierarchical linear regression, this study found that self-concordant work significantly impacted employee’s job satisfaction and job-related affective well-being....
IJASSH, 2018
Purpose: The current study is examining the efficiency of 5 days gratitude intervention where to list 3 things that employee was grateful for at workplace in daily basis. Method: The design of the study is experimental design that uses two groups, gratitude and control. It uses also work related intervention journaling-listing approach. The sample is employees in education and retailer sectors in Bahrain (N=145). Participants are measured at two point of time pre-test and post-test.The measurements used are self-report five scales; dispositional gratitude questionnaire, subjective well-being questionnaire, Positive and negative affect scale, Job satisfaction questionnaire and Affective Organizational Commitment. In addition, two questions to explore how employee evaluate their gratefulness towards specific events, people and experience and how do they prefer their managers to express their gratitude towards them at work.Findings: In term of the demographic result, most of the participants are female 56%, belongs to (24-30) age group, 90% from education sector, 80% are married, 65% earns average monthly income between 751 and 1000, 73% are bachelor holders and 97% Muslims. The outcomes have revealed that the gratitude intervention used was not effective since the independent t-test was not statistically significance. 91% of employees preferred word of gratitude and thankfulness from their boss as an appreciation expression towards them. More than 97% of the participants were grateful to their good health and to theirfamily, spouse, children and parents.Conclusion and recommendation: The insignificant results of the used intervention in the current study may suggest for future studies to consider other methods to facilitate gratitude in the workplace. Finally, Gratitude is important in both general life and work place. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
The Relationship between Gratitude, Wellbeing, Spirituality, and Experiencing Meaningful Work
Psych, 2021
Poor mental wellbeing not only affects an individual and their family, but it also affects the workplace and the society as a whole. Consequently, it is crucial to investigate approaches that can promote a positive mindset in order to enhance wellbeing. This study aimed to explore the association between gratitude, wellbeing, spirituality, and experiencing meaningful work. A sample of 197 participants (69.5% female) completed measures of gratitude, experiencing meaningful work, spirituality, and several wellbeing indices. Gratitude was significantly positively associated with happiness, life satisfaction, flourishing, positive affect, spirituality, and experiencing meaningful work. A mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between wellbeing and experiencing meaningful work was partially mediated by gratitude. Additionally, spirituality did not moderate the relationship between gratitude and experiencing meaningful work. Overall, the findings indicate that fostering a grateful mindset could enhance wellbeing and work engagement, which in turn could lead to the experience of meaningful work.
The Working for Wellness Program: RCT of an Employee Well-Being Intervention
This paper details the design and evaluation of a positive psychology-based employee well-being program. The effect of the program on well-being was evaluated using a mixed method design comprising of an RCT to assess outcome effectiveness, and participant feedback and facilitator field notes to assess process and impact effectiveness. Fifty government employees were randomly allocated to either an intervention or a control group (reduced to n = 23 for complete case analysis). The intervention group participated in the 6-week Working for Wellness Program and completed measures of subjective, psychological, affective and work-related well-being (SWB, PWB, AWB and WWB) at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three and 6 month follow-ups. The control group completed the questionnaires only. As predicted, mixed ANOVAs revealed improvements in SWB and PWB for intervention group participants over time relative to control participants but these effects had reduced by time 4. There was a main effect of group on AWB in the predicted direction but no effect on WWB. Participant feedback indicated that the focus on strengths and group delivery were the most effective components of the program. Key issues were sample attrition and a lack of on-the-job support for change. Findings suggest employees can learn effective strategies for sustainably increasing their subjective and psychological well-being.
Evaluation of Positive Psychology Theory
Evaluation of Positive Psychology Theory, 2021
Oades and Mossman (2017) report that wellbeing has multilateral interpretations. In addition, wellbeing applications need to consider diverse social and environmental conditions and levels (individual, group, organisation, society) of wellbeing analysis. Varied definitions and references, including subjectivity and objectivity of the related terms and the domains (mental, physical, social) in wellbeing are defined and described, presenting scholars with a balanced field of research and inquiry. Holistic approaches, meaning equal focus on “the good and the bad in the world,” are suggested to understand, explore, and exploit wellbeing applications and interventions. Scholars unanimously call for evidence-based approaches, highlighting the importance of conflicting and contradictory views about the depth of current research and the need for real-world applications. This article will focus on the real-world applications, interventions, and effects of positive psychology and workplace engagement leading to meaningful work. Workplace engagement matters because employees experience numerous challenges from remote work due to COVID-19 effects. This topic attracts interest from scholars and professionals who must imagine and reimagine the relationship between individuals and their workplaces.
Journal of Happiness Studies, 2016
In this article, we explore the use of strengths interventions, defined as activities and processes that target the identification, development, and use of individual strengths, as an organizational tool to increase employee well-being. Engaging with one's strengths is assumed to be a pleasant activity that elicits positive emotions like joy, pride, and gratitude, which, in turn, contribute to feelings of overall well-being and satisfaction. Building on this assumption, we hypothesized that participating in a strengths intervention leads to increases in general (i.e., psychological capital and satisfaction with life), and work-related well-being (i.e., increased work engagement and decreased burnout), and that positive affect mediates these effects. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a field experiment with a sample of N = 116 Dutch working people who were assigned to either an experimental group (participating in a strengths intervention) or a waitlist control group. All participants filled in a pre-intervention, postintervention, and 1 month follow-up questionnaire. Results indicate that participating in a strengths intervention creates short-term increases in employee positive affect and short-and long-term increases in psychological capital. We did not find evidence for a positive, direct effect of the strengths intervention on satisfaction with life, work engagement, and burnout respectively, but we did find support for indirect effects via the mediator positive affect.
2019
Employee stress and disengagement are of increasing concern in workplaces due to the adverse consequences of such employee states on business performance and employee quality of life. Conventional wellness strategies in organizations may help alleviate some work-related distress, but do little to enhance employee well-being towards flourishing. Workplaces have a unique opportunity to improve the well-being of their employees and can, as a result, reap benefits beyond health care cost avoidance. Positive psychology and affiliated disciplines (e.g. positive organizational behavior and positive organizational scholarship) can offer research-backed strategies to enhance well-being by ‘growing the good’ and capitalizing on strengths versus mitigating risk or deficit alone. This paper examines these fields and the general program implementation literature to synthesize a model of workplace well-being program design and implementation. This model can be leveraged by organizations and pract...
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Objective: To determine whether a 6-week Positivity Program could impact employee cardiovascular inflammation, blood sugars, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and/or life satisfaction. Methods: Pre-and poststudy blood draw and life satisfaction questionnaire tracked changes in 10 cardiovascular and inflammatory biomarkers for 63 employees who participated in a 6-week Positivity Program comprised of three interventions: gratitude, HeartMath's Heart Lock-In, and yoga stretches with guided imagery. Results: Improvements were recorded in life satisfaction as well as in seven of 10 cardiovascular and inflammatory biomarkers, including high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP) (À27%), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (À1%), glucose (À2%), myeloperoxidase (MPO) (À5%), lipoprotein-associated phospholipase-A2 (Lp-PLA2) (À9%), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) (À6%), and DHEA (1%). No improvements were recorded in cortisol (11%), small-dense LDL (sdLDL) (0%), or oxidized LDL (OxLDL) (7%). Conclusions: Data suggest that engaging in 6 weeks of a workplace Positivity Program may improve employee life satisfaction, blood sugar levels, and some markers of cardiovascular inflammation.