Wellbeing Wizard

Do workplace vitamins supplement your wellbeing?

Employee wellbeing depends on 9 features of the workplace which act like vitamins, according to Warr’s (1987) theory.

He suggests the first 6 workplace vitamins boost employee wellbeing except in very high doses when they become toxic and harmful to health.

However with the last 3, once the required dosage has been achieved they have no further effect on employee wellbeing:

1. Opportunity to control your work autonomously
2. Opportunity to use and develop your skills
3. Clarity of goals and role
4. Variety of tasks
5. Performance requirements and feedback
6. Social support and contact
7. Financial rewards
8. Physical comfort and security
9. Position and status

According to the theory the vitamins work to the extent that they fulfil employee’s needs in these areas.

If these needs are not met the risks include depression, anxiety and low levels of wellbeing.

Warr, P. (1987). Work, Unemployment, and Mental Health, Clarendon Press, Oxford.

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