What Comprises Well-being at Workplace? A Qualitative Inquiry Among Service Sector Employees in India

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The notion of well-being has been evolving as research continues to unfurl its multidimensional nature. The importance of well-being in the organizational context is becoming a valuable line of inquiry, and employee well-being has emerged as a pivotal focus in positive psychology. Despite this, employees report high levels of disengagement and stress at work. Thus, we conducted 15 in-depth interviews with middle- and senior-level managers in the service sector in India to understand the factors that impact an employee’s well-being. Research question: What comprises an individual’s well-being at the workplace? Theory: Conservation-of-resources theory, broaden-and-build theory. Type of the case: Applied problem-solving. Basis of the Case: Phenomenon. Protagonist: Not needed. Findings: Data was analysed using grounded theory. We synthesized the factors contributing to employee well-being into the following themes: encouraging organizational culture, providing social support, demonstrating positive leadership, integrating work and life, finding meaning in work, providing autonomy and ensuring good working conditions. Discussion: Study findings extend the conservation-of-resources and broaden-and-build theories by emphasizing on gain spirals; that is, individuals use a positive effect to conserve, replenish, broaden, and build their inner resources and well-being. While leaders in an organization invest in enhancing employees’ well-being, they need to be cognizant of the several factors at interplay. An overall positive environment, autonomy, safety and meaningfulness contribute holistically towards the well-being of employees.