Social Well-being at Work in the context of Self-Determination Theory: The unique contribution of Social Well-being at Work beyond the Satisfaction of the Need for Competence and Autonomy

With the increasing interest in employee well-being, this study examines whether social well-being at work is related with engagement, performance and burnout. Social well-being at work is the quality of social interactions with colleagues and a sense of belonging in the workplace. Driven by the self-determination theory, the present study examines the role of social well-being at work in relation to engagement, performance and burnout, with the main objective to provide a more detailed understanding on the effects of social well-being at work above and beyond the satisfaction of the need for competence and autonomy. Additionally, the study examined whether the relationships between social well-being at work and engagement, performance and burnout differed for employees earning different levels of monetary remuneration. Data were collected through an online survey among Dutch, Surinamese, Turkish and Spanish employees, reaching 248 respondents. Results confirmed that social well...Show moreWith the increasing interest in employee well-being, this study examines whether social well-being at work is related with engagement, performance and burnout. Social well-being at work is the quality of social interactions with colleagues and a sense of belonging in the workplace. Driven by the self-determination theory, the present study examines the role of social well-being at work in relation to engagement, performance and burnout, with the main objective to provide a more detailed understanding on the effects of social well-being at work above and beyond the satisfaction of the need for competence and autonomy. Additionally, the study examined whether the relationships between social well-being at work and engagement, performance and burnout differed for employees earning different levels of monetary remuneration. Data were collected through an online survey among Dutch, Surinamese, Turkish and Spanish employees, reaching 248 respondents. Results confirmed that social well-being at work is related to higher levels of engagement and performance, while associated with lower levels of burnout. Hierarchical regression revealed that social well-being at work explains additional variance in burnout above and beyond the satisfaction of the need for competence and autonomy. However, this was not the case for engagement and performance. A closer look at these findings revealed that different dimensions of social well-being at work have different roles. This was revealed using post-hoc analyses examining the two sub-dimensions of social wellbeing, safety and bonding, separately beyond the satisfaction of the need for competence and autonomy. Here higher safety predicted lower burnout and higher bonding was related to higher engagement. Lastly, moderation analysis showed that monetary remuneration is important, however it does not amplify or weaken the relation between social well-being at work and the work-related outcomes. This proposes that feeling socially connected to others at work is equally important for all employees, regardless of their level of monetary remuneration. Taken together, the study suggests that creating a supportive social environment at work, while supporting employees’ need for competence and autonomy, could be beneficial for employees as well as employers. These aspects seem to be the key ingredients to a healthy and performative workforce.Show less

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Social Well-being at Work in the context of Self-Determination Theory: The unique contribution of Social Well-being at Work beyond the Satisfaction of the Need for Competence and Autonomy