Are work well-being variables distinct? A bifactor model of fulfilling work.

Abstract

The strengths-based inclusive theory of work and psychology of working theory propose that fulfilling work is a key outcome of the vocational intervention. Scholars have further argued that fulfilling work is the holistic experience of well-being in the workplace and can be assessed with meaningful work, work engagement, workplace positive emotions, and job satisfaction. This theoretical perspective suggests a bifactor model would best explain the relations among these variables, but this claim remains untested. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether a bifactor model best explained the relations among the four components of fulfilling work, in comparison to other plausible models. We also examined the concurrent and convergent validity of the fulfilling work construct, using other well-being variables, symptoms of distress, and contextual factor variables drawn from vocational theories. Supporting hypotheses, we found that a bifactor model best fit the data. We also found that fulfilling work positively related to eudaimonic work well-being, hedonic work well-being, and life satisfaction and negatively related to symptoms of distress. Finally, fulfilling work positively related to income and subjective social class. These findings offer conceptual and statistical implications of fulfilling work for research, counseling, organizations, and social advocacy. Public Significance StatementThis study found that different aspects of well-being at work, such as meaningfulness and job satisfaction, reflect the same underlying experience. This finding has implications for future research and interventions focused on improving people's well-being at work.

A New Gain Spiral at Work: Relationships between Virtuous Organizational Practices, Psychological Capital, and Well-Being of Workers

“…Well-being at work has been widely demonstrated to have positive effects for both individuals and organizations, notably in terms of psychological health and performance. At the employee level, well-being is positively related to positive emotions [1], flow at work [2], life satisfaction [1], and work-family enrichment [3], and negatively related to work-related rumination [4], job stress [5], mental distress [1], and burnout [6]. At the organizational level, workers' well-being is associated with increased performance [7].…”

Service Workers’ Well-Being During COVID-19: A Strengths-Based Inclusive Theory of Work Perspective

“…Fulfilling Work. Fulfilling work was measured as a latent variable with job satisfaction, meaningful work, work engagement, and workplace positive affect as indicators (Allan et al, 2021).…”

Enrichment and Conflict Between Work and Health Behaviors: New Scales for Assessing How Work Relates to Physical Exercise and Healthy Eating

“…Building on this enrichment conceptualization, we define work-to-exercise enrichment as the extent to which experiences at work improve physical exercise. For instance, experiencing work as fulfilling comes along with positive affect (Allan et al, 2021) that helps to initiate and maintain exercise behavior (Emerson et al, 2018). Looking at the other direction of the enrichment process, exercise-to-work enrichment is the extent to which physical-exercise experiences improve the quality of experiences at work.…”

“…For instance, these rewards provide the necessary financial resources to engage in physical exercise (cf., purchasing equipment) and healthy eating (cf., purchasing high-quality food). Moreover, rewarding job experiences imply a close link to positive affective states (Allan et al, 2021) that in turn facilitate engagement in physical exercise (Emerson et al, 2018) and the choice of more healthy, nutritious food items (Gardner et al, 2014).…”