Employee Well-being and Productivity: A Review of Theoretical and Empirical Studies in China

Authors

  • Zhu Diyin Lincoln University College, Wisma Lincoln, No. 12-18, Jalan SS 6/12, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
  • Amiya Bhaumik Lincoln University College, Wisma Lincoln, No. 12-18, Jalan SS 6/12, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46977/amt.2025.v05i03.004

Keywords:

Decent Work, Millennial Employees, Need Satisfaction, Psychology Of Working Theory, Well-Being

Abstract

The Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) is a newly introduced framework for assessing matters related to decent employment. This study assesses the determinants and consequences of decent work and employs the model to compare samples of public and private sector Chinese employees from various economic and vocational backgrounds. The findings demonstrate that the PWT is relevant to Chinese employees and that the theory is validated within a Chinese environment. The outcomes have ramifications for people and corporations. Interventions focused on career flexibility and work volition are recommended for people. For firms, quality employment is a crucial factor in enhancing workers' job and life happiness. The research findings and management consequences are ultimately examined. This research aims to clarify the connection between good working conditions and the well-being of employees, using the psychology of working theory as a guide. While the fulfilment of social contribution and self-determination demands partially mitigated the influence of good employment on the well-being of millennial employees, the mediation effect of survival need satisfaction was not significant. Millennial employees' well-being was more strongly influenced by their self-determination needs than by their social contribution needs. The study increases the understanding of the factors that affect employee well-being, and the results may offer suggestions for managers on how to enhance the well-being of millennial employees.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Arampatzi, E., Burger, M., Stavropoulos, S., & Tay, L. (2020). The Role of Positive Expectations for Resilience to Adverse Events: Subjective Well-Being Before, During and After the Greek Bailout Referendum. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00115-9

Chen, S.-C., Jiang, W., & Ma, Y. (2020). Decent work in a transition economy: An empirical study of employees in China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 153, 119947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.119947

Cheung, C., Chih, Y.-Y., Bowen, P., & Liao, P.-C. (2023). Leadership and Employee Well-Being in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Industry. Journal of Management in Engineering, 39(4). https://doi.org/10.1061/jmenea.meeng-5491

Di Fabio, A., Svicher, A., & Gori, A. (2021). Occupational Fatigue: Relationship With Personality Traits and Decent Work. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 742809. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.742809

Ding, H., & Yu, E. (2021). Strengths-Based Leadership and Employee Psychological Well-Being: A Moderated Mediation Model. Journal of Career Development, 49(5), 089484532110188. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453211018807

Dirani, K. M., Abadi, M., Alizadeh, A., Barhate, B., Garza, R. C., Gunasekara, N., Ibrahim, G., & Majzun, Z. (2020). Leadership competencies and the essential role of human resource development in times of crisis: A response to COVID-19 pandemic. Human Resource Development International, 23(4), 380–394. Tandfonline. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2020.1780078

Duffy, R. D., Prieto, C. G., Kim, H. J., Raque-Bogdan, T. L., & Duffy, N. O. (2021). Decent work and physical health: A multi-wave investigation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 127, 103544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103544

Elsamani, Y., Mejia, C., & Kajikawa, Y. (2023). Employee well-being and innovativeness: A multi-level conceptual framework based on citation network analysis and data mining techniques. PLOS ONE, 18(1), e0280005. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280005

Fragouli, E. (2020). Leading in Crisis & Corporate Reputation. Risk and Financial Management, 2(1), p62. https://doi.org/10.30560/rfm.v2n1p62

Lu, Y., Zhang, M. M., Yang, M. M., & Wang, Y. (2023). Sustainable human resource management practices, employee resilience, and employee outcomes: Toward common good values. Human Resource Management, 62(3), 331–353. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hrm.22153

Nyfoudi, M., Theodorakopoulos, N., Psychogios, A., & Dysvik, A. (2020). Tell it like it is in SME teams: Adverse working conditions, citizenship behaviour and the role of team information sharing in a turbulent economy. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 43(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831x20925544

Pagán-Castaño, E., Maseda-Moreno, A., & Santos-Rojo, C. (2020). Wellbeing in work environments. Journal of Business Research, 115(1), 469–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.12.007

Ribeiro, N., Nguyen, T., Duarte, A. P., Torres de Oliveira, R., & Faustino, C. (2020). How managerial coaching promotes employees’ affective commitment and individual performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 70(8), 2163–2181. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm-10-2018-0373

Ritter, T., & Pedersen, C. L. (2020). Analyzing the impact of the coronavirus crisis on business models. Industrial Marketing Management, 88, 214–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.05.014

Salas‐Vallina, A., Alegre, J., & López‐Cabrales, Á. (2020). The challenge of increasing employees’ well‐being and performance: How human resource management practices and engaging leadership work together toward reaching this goal. Human Resource Management, 60(3), 333–347. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22021

Wang, H., Ding, H., & Kong, X. (2023). Understanding technostress and employee well-being in digital work: the roles of work exhaustion and workplace knowledge diversity. International Journal of Manpower, 44(2), 334–353. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijm-08-2021-0480

Zhang, F., Xu, W., & Khurshid, A. (2023). The Interplay of Migrant Workers’ Working Hours, Income, and Well-Being in China. Sustainability, 15(14), 11409. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411409

Zhao, T., Li, H., Zheng, L., & Zhang, Y. (2022). How Dispositional Gratitude Shapes Employee Well-being and Organizational Commitment: The Mediating Roles of Leader-Member Exchange and Coworker Exchange. Journal of Career Assessment, 31(1), 149–171. https://doi.org/10.1177/10690727221099867

Zhou, L., & Zhang, Z. (2023). Ecological well-being performance and influencing factors in China: from the perspective of income inequality. Kybernetes, 52(4), 1269–1293. https://doi.org/10.1108/k-06-2021-0452

Zhu, M., Li, S., Gao, H., & Zuo, L. (2023). Social media use, thriving at work, and employee well-being: a mediation model. Current Psychology, 43(2), 1052–1066. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04367-w

Published

2025-01-30

How to Cite

Diyin, Z. ., & Bhaumik, A. . (2025). Employee Well-being and Productivity: A Review of Theoretical and Empirical Studies in China. Advancement in Management and Technology (AMT) , 5(3), 36-43. https://doi.org/10.46977/amt.2025.v05i03.004

Metrics