5os07 well-being at work introduces workplace well-being and explains why it matters. It explores the relationship between work, health, and well-being, and looks at how well-being can be managed and linked to other areas of people management and wider organisational strategy.
You will examine the key components of well-being programmes and the stakeholders involved, including organisational responsibilities and the benefits of effective well-being management for both employees and employers. You will also explain how well-being can be managed to support organisational goals and evaluate key theories and issues related to well-being at work.
In addition, you will identify the stakeholders needed to sustain well-being initiatives and consider how well-being connects with other people management practices. Finally, you will apply your learning by developing a well-being programme plan, including how it will be implemented and how its success will be monitored.
Table of Contents
Task 1 – Understanding Wellbeing in the Workplace
AC 1.1 Evaluate two key ‘wellbeing’ theories, including how they can be applied to current issues of wellbeing in the workplace.
Theory 1: The Psychological Contract Theory
The psychological contract theory, originally developed by Rousseau and subsequently refined by contemporary scholars, provides a valuable framework for understanding employee wellbeing at Repas. The psychological contract refers to the unwritten, implicit set of mutual expectations and obligations that exist between employers and employees beyond the formal employment contract (CIPD, 2024a). Unlike legal contracts, psychological contracts are subjective and perceptual, meaning that employees and employers may hold different understandings of what has been promised and what is owed.
Guest and Conway (2020) identify that psychological contracts encompass both transactional elements, such as fair pay for work performed, and relational elements, such as job security, career development opportunities, and respectful treatment. When employees perceive that the organisation has fulfilled its obligations, they experience positive psychological states including trust, commitment, and wellbeing. Conversely, when employees perceive a breach of the psychological contract, where the organisation fails to deliver on perceived promises, this triggers negative emotions including betrayal, resentment, reduced trust, and diminished wellbeing.
Application to Repas
The psychological contract theory is directly applicable to wellbeing issues at Repas. The anonymous survey findings reveal inconsistency in how managers treat employees, with some employees receiving free meals daily while others only receive meals when there is a surplus. This inconsistency represents a breach of the psychological contract for disadvantaged employees, who perceive unfair treatment compared to colleagues. According to Guest and Conway (2020), such perceived breaches generate feelings of injustice, reduce organisational commitment, and negatively impact wellbeing through increased stress and disengagement.
Furthermore, the reported inconsistency in holiday allocation, where parents receive preferential treatment over non-parents, constitutes another psychological contract breach. Non-parent employees may have expected equitable treatment as part of their employment relationship; discovering that this expectation is not met damages trust and wellbeing. Addressing these breaches requires Repas to establish clear, consistent, and transparently communicated policies that all managers implement uniformly, thereby rebuilding trust and restoring psychological contract fulfilment.
