Title:
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Developing an integrated workplace well-being model for theory and management practice
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This study examines the potential confusion that arises for business regarding the delimitation
of 'Workplace well-being". This potential confusion arises in several places including
Government reports, business practice and in academic and other literature. The reason for
this is that Workplace well-being is simply equated either with workplace health within a
health model and/or as employee engagement within a business model. In this study we
explore this issue and argue that for the successful implementation of Work place well-being
we should keep health issues distinct from a general business concept of Workplace well being
which encompasses other elements such as employee engagement and organisation
communication, what we call an 'Integrated Workplace well-being Model (IWBM).' To
make our case we focus directly on two cases study organisations where 'Workplace wellbeing'
strategies are about to be implemented. As a first step we establish the context and
management thinking within these companies regarding their views on what is 'Workplace
well-being' within the workplace. We find that the management of both companies are
caught between the health and business models, often conflating, confusing or overlapping
the two.
In order to provide a coherent way forward for both companies we develop an integrated
business model of employee engagement which utilises a factorial measurement that allows
us to focus on an IWBM approach. This approach is then applied to both cases studies and the
findings considered in terms of the practical aims of business and business management in
their efforts to develop plans for Workplace well-being.
The findings suggest the IWBM offers business a more immediate and tractable process for
assessing the present context of Workplace well-being, and that because it is integrated it
allows managers to explore individual trajectories (employee engagement or organisation
communication for example), as well as allowing them to integrate these within a larger view
of the company.
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