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How Chinese Conceptualize Employee Well-Being

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Abstract

This chapter aims to substantiate a theory-driven and context-specific conceptualization of employee well-being for Chinese employees. Drawing on three primary defining characteristics of well-being in psychology, i.e., the distinction between hedonia and eudaimonia, the imperative consideration of social dimension, and the indispensable attention to negative affect, this chapter conceptualizes Chinese employee well-being as a multidimensional concept consists of positive affect, individual well-being, social well-being, and negative affect. The qualitative and quantitative data from 544 Chinese employees support the proposition of multidimensionality but cannot distinguish individual well-being from social well-being. Aligning with this context-specific profile of employee well-being, future research would better clarify employee well-being-related concepts and select appropriate measures to address specific research gaps. The results also generate context-specific recommendations for management practitioners to improve employee well-being in China.

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Liu, L. (2021). How Chinese Conceptualize Employee Well-Being. In: Dhiman, S.K. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Well-Being. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30025-8_6

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