Abstract
This chapter examines the relationship between welfare policies, job conditions, and employee well-being. The main objective is to determine the welfare policies and identify the most useful measures for improving employee well-being and identify workplace conditions that affect employee well-being. Existing research in employee well-being focuses on identifying how one of the main areas (welfare policies or job conditions) affects an employee's well-being. However, there is a gap in research on employee well-being and the relationships between welfare policies, job conditions, and employee well-being in Slovenia. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide an overview of how welfare policies and job conditions influence employee well-being in Slovenian organizations. Descriptive quantitative research method was used for the study. Data collection of a survey instrument took place from March to July 2020. The authors used a convenience sampling method to recruit the companies. Results of this research show high levels of job satisfaction related to all aspects.
TopBackground
Well-being is a broad term that refers to various areas of life satisfaction, such as general health, family life, friendships, recreation, spiritual life, and satisfaction with the work environment. However, employee well-being refers to the individual's work environment, which is a critical component of employee health. The higher the level of employee satisfaction in the workplace, the more positive impact it has on the organization's success. For management, it is usually not enough to reduce the negative factors in the organization and increase the positive factors of well-being. Healthy work environments are therefore crucial for promoting healthy and respectful relationships between employees and departments in the organization, as well as for implementing various measures to promote the mental and physical well-being of employees. Such policies should promote and support the physical and mental health and well-being of all employees. Many studies have shown that a lack of positive emotions introduces stress to the work environment, which negatively affects the performance of an organization (Day & Nielsen, 2017; Kelloway et al., 2012; Nielsen et al., 2017; Skakon et al., 2010).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Workplace Stress: Stress caused by the individual's reactions to the working conditions in the organization. It may refer to a feeling of helplessness or inability to cope with work tasks.
Job Conditions: A multidimensional concept that refers to many factors, such as organizational values, culture and ethics, health and safety practices, work equipment and tools, relationships, and other factors that can affect employee well-being in the workplace.
Job Security: A term that defines the safety of employees in the workplace.
Stress: An individual's response to experiences and events in their environment.
Well-Being Management: A management function that relates to the management of well-being in the workplace.
Welfare Policies: Organization's policies regarding work flexibility, additional forms of health care, economic incentives, work permits, and other forms of specific support activities for employees.
Psychologically Healthy Workplace: A work environment in which the health and well-being of employees is promoted and the presence of negative stressors in the work environment is reduced.