A new paper in Frontiers in Psychology, Prospective associations of multidimensional well-being with work distraction and job satisfaction: a two-wave study of US employees, by Eric N. Fung, Richard G. Cowden, Ying Chen, Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska, Piotr Bialowolski, Matthew T. Lee, Eileen McNeely and Tyler J. VanderWeele, examines prospective associations between six domains of well-being (emotional health, physical health, meaning & purpose, character strengths, social connectedness, and financial security) and two work outcomes (work distraction and job satisfaction) in a sample of employees at a United States health insurance company.
This research uses a two-wave prospective cohort of employees to examine the associations between domains of well-being and two commonly used indicators of employee work performance, namely work distraction and job satisfaction. In doing so, this research addresses at least three gaps in the existing literature on well-being and work outcomes. First, whereas prior studies often employed cross-sectional designs, the current study uses a longitudinal approach, which provides stronger causal evidence. Second, previous studies in this area have focused primarily on a single or few indicators of well-being as predictors of work outcomes (primarily mental health), whereas a multidimensional approach to measuring well-being helps paint a more holistic picture of how well-being shapes work outcomes.
This study provides some evidence indicating that several domains of well-being are related to improved subsequent work distraction and job satisfaction. The findings suggest that organizations might consider prioritizing opportunities to promote the emotional health and social connectedness of its employees.
Read the full paper.