Relationship of eudaimonia and hedonia with work outcomes

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of two perspectives of well-being, hedonism and eudaimonism, on job attitudes and extra-role behaviors. Theoretically, hedonism equates well-being with the experience of pleasure, whereas eudaimonism is the experience of personal growth, purpose and social significance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 528 administrative support staff at two points in time. At time 1, hedonia and eudaimonia at work were measured. Job attitudes and extra-role behaviors were measured at time 2.

Findings

Results indicate that hedonia and eudaimonia, although strongly correlated, have unique effects on job attitudes and extra-role behaviors. Further, there is a synergistic effect between eudaimonia and hedonia such that experienced eudaimonia has a stronger effect on employee outcomes when hedonia is higher.

Practical implications

Popular books highlight the importance of creating happy workers. However, one’s view of happiness/well-being at work influences the actions taken to improve such well-being. An important implication of this study is that firms should focus on creating an environment that fosters personal growth, a sense of purpose and a feeling of social significance in addition to hedonic happiness.

Originality/value

Both eudaimonic and hedonic measures of well-being were examined and results indicated that both were important predictors of extra-role behavior and job attitudes. Such results not only highlight the importance of explicit examination of additional conceptualizations of well-being at work, but also indicate the importance of eudaimonia at work.

Citation

Turban, D.B. and Yan, W. (2016), "Relationship of eudaimonia and hedonia with work outcomes", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 1006-1020. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-07-2015-0271