Abstract
The authentic happiness theory covers three basic orientations to happiness; namely, the life of pleasure (via hedonism); engagement (via flow-related experiences); and meaning (via eudaimonia). There is broad evidence for a positive relationship between these three orientations and indicators of positive psychological functioning in a variety of life domains. However, their contribution to well-being at work is understudied. The main aim of this study was testing the relationship between self- and peer-rated orientations to happiness, work related well-being (work satisfaction, work stress), and coping strategies. Further possible mediating effects of the coping strategies on the relationship between orientations to happiness and well-being at work were also examined. The sample consisted of 372 German-speaking Swiss adults (60.3% female), aged between 18 and 65 years (M = 38.9, SD = 10.8) with a minimum of 40% full-time employment. For 100 persons, peer-ratings of the orientations to happiness were available. Our results showed that the life of engagement and, to a lesser extent, the life of meaning are related to work satisfaction. The life of pleasure was associated with lower levels of reported work stress. Further, positive associations between self- and peer-rated orientations to happiness (particularly pleasure) and adaptive coping strategies with stress were also found. Mediation analyses showed that the effects of engagement in general and content-related work satisfaction were mediated mainly by control and negative coping, while the association between meaning and resigned work satisfaction was mediated by positive coping. Negative coping fully mediated the association between the pleasurable life and work stress. Overall, our results indicate that employees’ orientations to happiness are of importance for experiencing well-being at work.
Highlights
Well-being at work is crucial for the overall well-being of the individual and leads to better work performance (e.g., Judge et al, 2001; Zelenski et al, 2008; Cooper et al, 2019), higher levels of employee creativity and engagement (Bartels et al, 2019), and has been associated with lower rates of absenteeism at work (e.g., Wegge et al, 2007; Ybema et al, 2010)
Our findings show that the effects of engagement in general or content-related work satisfaction were mediated mainly by negative coping and control, while the association between meaning and resigned work satisfaction was mediated by positive coping
Our results indicate that the orientations to happiness are of importance for work-related well-being, such as general, content-related, and resigned work satisfaction and experienced work stress
Summary
Well-being at work is crucial for the overall well-being of the individual and leads to better work performance (e.g., Judge et al, 2001; Zelenski et al, 2008; Cooper et al, 2019), higher levels of employee creativity and engagement (Bartels et al, 2019), and has been associated with lower rates of absenteeism at work (e.g., Wegge et al, 2007; Ybema et al, 2010). In an effort to narrow a gap in the literature, we examine three basic orientations to happiness at work and their association with work satisfaction and work stress. We will collect self- and other ratings in the orientations and see whether they relate to specific stress-coping strategies and could be seen as protective factors buffering against stress
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