Daily eudaimonic well-being as a predictor of daily performance: A dynamic lens

PLoS One. 2019 Apr 19;14(4):e0215564. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215564. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Sustaining employees' well-being and high performance at work is a challenge for organizations in today's highly competitive environment. This study examines the dynamic reciprocal relationship between the variability in office workers' eudaimonic well-being (i.e., activity worthwhileness) and their extra-role performance. Eighty-three white-collar employees filled in a diary questionnaire twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, on four consecutive working days. The results show that eudaimonic well-being displays clear variability in a short time frame. In addition, Bayesian Multilevel Structural Equation Models (MSEMs) reveal a significant positive relationship between the levels of state eudaimonic well-being in the afternoon and the increase in the levels of state extra-role performance from that afternoon to the next morning. Moreover, the overall levels of self-reported state eudaimonic well-being across the diary measurements are significantly and positively related to the overall levels of extra-role performance assessed by the supervisor during the diary measurement. Finally, there is a significant negative relationship between the amount of intra-individual variability in state eudaimonic well-being during the week and the overall levels of self-rated state extra-role performance during the same week. These findings shed light on the dynamic nature of both the eudaimonic component of well-being and performance, highlighting the importance of eudaimonic well-being for extra-role performance and expanding the happy-productive worker thesis. The results suggest that the daily eudaimonic experience of meaning at work should complement the experience of hedonic well-being because it is an important factor in achieving better and more sustainable employee performance on a daily basis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Bayes Theorem
  • Efficiency*
  • Female
  • Happiness*
  • Humans
  • Job Satisfaction
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*
  • Work Performance / standards*
  • Work Performance / statistics & numerical data
  • Workplace / organization & administration
  • Workplace / psychology
  • Workplace / standards

Grants and funding

Funded by Climate-KIC «INN_TBE: Building technologies accelerator (BTA), CPI-14-372» [2014/10500]. http://www.climate-kic.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BTA-brochure-2014_1.0.pdf. Project PSI2012-36557 of the Spanish Ministry: http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/stfls/eSede/Ficheros/2012/Anexo135_Psicologia_Preseleccionados.pdf. PROMETEO 2012/048 Project granted by the Valencian Regional Ministry. http://www.ceice.gva.es/documents/161863198/163738122/PROMETEO12_15_Resolucion_Renovacion_C.pdf. Marie Sklodowska Curie postdoctoral fellowship (individual fellowship, project nr 745947 “Starflict”). https://www.cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/209534_en.html.