Human Wellbeing (flourishing) (HWBF)

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Human wellbeing (flourishing) (HWBF) is significant in organizations and there is a lot of scholarly research regarding this issue. Therefore, human wellbeing (flourishing) has become a subject of interest for management scholars and policy makers [1], as well as for psychologists, sociologists, economists, political scientists and health specialists [2,3].

Wellbeing and good health are significant objectives that form part of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 [4] although it is indirectly related to other SDG’s such as decent work and economic growth [5], as well as the Global Flourishing Goals (i.e., holistic health and well-being, fulfilling social relationships, meaning and purpose) [6].

Stress, one of numerous factors considered in the context of employee wellbeing, can help enhance performance and productivity, assisting individuals to satisfy requests and deadlines. However, when stress factors are replicated or persistent, performance and productivity tend to diminish because of physical and psychological phenomena accompanied by chronic stress. Chronic stress gives rise to “mental and physical exhaustion,” “illness,” “depression,” and “anxiety” [7].

In workplaces there are numerous “shared triggers” of stress: “workload volume,” “tight deadlines,” “lack of advancement,” “number of working hours,” “low salary,” “technology distractions,” and “fluctuating priorities” [8]; “poor work-life balance”) [9]; “job control” [10]; “heavy workload” [11]; and “presenteeism/absenteeism” [12].

Research suggests that presenteeism is a much more important problem for employers than the more observable sickness absence measure [13]. The Centre for Mental Health (2018) indicated in 2011 that presenteeism costs the UK economy approximately double the total cost lost because of sickness absence [14].