Well-being and performance: measurement issues for HRM research

Abstract

The more recent focus on the link between HRM practice and organisational systems has been on the potential benefits of mutuality in employment relationships. The key to this notion of mutuality is the connection between worker well-being and performance. Although a common area of study for psychology, this relationship has received limited attention from HRM scholars. However, these initial endeavours have raised some concerns about measurement. First, there appears little consensus about which particular facet of well-being is most crucial to determining performance and, second, concern has been expressed over the validity of the different approaches taken to assessing performance. Our study addresses these issues by exploring the relationships between three different measures of well-being and two different measures of performance amongst a student cohort. Results show that life satisfaction shares a significant, positive relationship with objective performance ratings, while attentiveness, a facet of positive affect, shares a significant positive relationship with subjective performance. We explore the reasons why these different facets of well-being might be related to our different performance assessments and then, in giving consideration to these findings, discuss their implications for the measurement of well-being and of performance in workplace studies.

Well-being and HRM in the changing workplace

“…In an article published in an earlier edition of this journal, Edgar et al (2015) support the view that well-being is important for performance, but draw attention to the lack of clarity regarding which specific dimensions of wellbeing are related to which performance outcomes, raising the issue too around the validity of measures of performance that are used in this area of research. Their study findings led to the conclusion that different aspects of well-being relate to different performance outcomes.…”

“…Franco-Santos and Doherty consider whether the HR practices stem from an agency theory approach, or from a stewardship approach. As referred to earlier), this may affect the way in which HR practices are designed, delivered and implemented, but may also influence how employees perceive these policies and practices (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004;Edgar et al, 2015;Nishii et al, 2008). In their paper, Veld and Alfes discuss the climate for efficiency versus climate for well-being and the potential limitations of only examining this in terms of either/or scenarios.…”

How Does Performance Management Affect Workers? Beyond Human Resource Management and Its Critique

“…The links between different recognitive processes and workers' well-being could also augment broader studies of how PM affects well-being, including in the outlying cases of HRM research that claims a legitimate interest in this question (e.g. Edgar et al 2015).…”

Performance Measurement and Performance Indicators

“…With respect to audience, the literature unambiguously expresses that stakeholder inclusion, buy-in, and engagement are all key elements of the process (Edgar, Geare, Halhjem, Reese, & Thoresen, 2015). It is crucial at all levels of PMS development and implementation that both internal and external stakeholders are queried and involved.…”