The joint impact of HRM attributions and HRM system consistency on employee well-being: a two-wave study

Abstract

Purpose This study extends extant literature by establishing an integrative framework connecting different forms of HRM attributions (internal HRM well-being attributions and exploiting attributions, and external Labor Law attributions) and a specific single meta-feature of HRM system strength (consistency) to employee well-being. Design/methodology/approach In total, 279 paired and valid responses from eight manufacturing firms located in three cities in China were analyzed in this two-wave study. PROCESS macro tool was used to examine the mediating role of thriving at work and the moderating role of HRM system consistency in the relationship between HRM attributions and thriving at work. Findings Thriving at work mediated the relationship between internal HRM exploiting attributions, external Labor Law attributions and employee well-being. On the other hand, internal HRM well-being attributions did not indirectly influence employee well-being through thriving at work. HRM system consistency moderates the association between internal HRM attributions (rather than external Labor Law attributions) and thriving at work. Research limitations/implications This research is only concerned with a particular form of external attributions in one country. In fact, there is a wide range of other external HRM attributions (e.g. organizational intention to imitate their competitors in today’s global economy). Practical implications Managers should understand that managing the well-being of the workforce is an important part of HRM for responsible organizations and make efforts to improve employees’ affective-motivational states. Originality/value The authors offer insights into HRM attributions research by differentiating internal attributions from external Labor Law attributions based on their disparate implications for employee well-being.

Wellness programs and employee outcomes: the role of HR attributions

“…(2016) showed that employees who held HR attributions related to cost reduction had higher workload and in turn higher emotional exhaustion. Xiao and Cooke (2022) also confirmed a negative relationship between exploitation HR attributions and thriving and well‐being. We therefore predict that:Hypothesis Employees with higher control attributions will have higher job dissatisfaction.Hypothesis Employees with higher control attributions will have more days impaired due to poor health.Hypothesis Employees with higher control attributions will have lower intentions to participate.…”

“…commitment) as resources and external attributions (e.g. control) as demands (see Alfes, Veldl and Furstenberg 2021; Van De Voorde and Beijer 2015; Xiao and Cooke 2022), whereas others have used COR (Shantz et al. 2016) to make similar arguments.…”

“…(2016) found that employees who believed that their organization's HR practices were designed to support their job performance (a different aspect of commitment) reported lower emotional exhaustion, both as a direct effect and via the mediating role of job involvement. In a sample of Chinese manufacturing workers, Xiao and Cooke (2022) found that those who attributed HRM practices to the organization’s commitment to the promotion of well‐being reported higher levels of thriving and well‐being, as measured via an adapted version of the General Health Questionnaire. Overall, therefore, we argue that employees will benefit when wellness programs are viewed as a signal that their organization is committed to their health and well‐being.Hypothesis Employees with higher commitment attributions will have lower job dissatisfaction.Hypothesis Employees with higher commitment attributions will have fewer days impaired due to poor health.Hypothesis Employees with higher commitment attributions will have higher wellness program participation intentions.…”

“…2012) supports adherence to workplace health legislation as being important for employee health outcomes. Xiao and Cooke (2022) found that the HR attribution of compliance with labor law had positive associations with thriving and well‐being. Thus, we argue that compliant employers are displaying a message of support and care for their employees and propose that:Hypothesis Employees with higher compliance attributions will have lower job dissatisfaction.Hypothesis Employees with higher compliance attributions will have fewer days impaired to due to poor health.Hypothesis Employees with higher compliance attributions will have higher wellness program participation intentions.…”

Human resource management, quality of patient care and burnout during the pandemic: a job demands-resources approach

“…Employees who perceive positive personal job resources are intrinsically motivated to achieve their goals and, in consequence, this fosters satisfaction (Luthans and Youssef, 2007). In this line, the availability of organisational resources (i.e., HR practices) and the absence of job demands should diminish feelings of burnout and increase energy at work (Xiao and Cooke, 2022). This echoes research showing that perceptions of supportive resources and low job demands develop employees' learning processes because it satisfies employees' innate needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Deci and Ryan, 2000), in turn making employees more competent and oriented towards achieving work objectives.…”