Employee Well-Being through a Eudaimonic Lens: A Proposed Model of Eudaimonia at Work

The aim of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of employee eudaimonic well-being. With the use of the Broaden and Build Theory (BBT) of positive emotions we develop a model to conceptualise the eudaimonic perspective of employee psychological well-being. Eudaimonia is seen as a type of psychological well-being entailing the search for meaning, self-actualization and excellence, while embarking on a journey to personal growth. As per the BBT, positive emotions have an enduring impact, and enable individuals in positive states to develop resources for them to grow, contributing positively to well-being and eudaimonia. Our contribution lies in the ability to conceptualise employee eudaimonic well-being from a multidisciplinary angle borrowing from the literature of psychology, organizational behaviour and human resource management. Specifically, we bring together meaningfulness, virtue and personal growth at work to better explain employee eudaimonic well-being. Meaningfulness at work is conceptualised through the ‘work and meaning inventory’ (psychological meaningfulness, making meaning through work and great good motivations). Virtue at work is conceptualised by looking at the employee character strengths, leadership virtuousness and organizational virtuousness. We conceptualise personal growth at work through personal growth in life, perceived supervisor support and perceived investment in employee development. Bringing these three constructs (meaningfulness, virtue and personal growth at work) together to study employee eudaimonic well-being, including their suggested sub-constructs is a novelty in the literature.