Relationship of eudaimonia and hedonia with work outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of two perspectives of well-being, hedonism and eudaimonism, on job attitudes and extra-role behaviors. Theoretically, hedonism equates well-being with the experience of pleasure, whereas eudaimonism is the experience of personal growth, purpose and social significance. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 528 administrative support staff at two points in time. At time 1, hedonia and eudaimonia at work were measured. Job attitudes and extra-role behaviors were measured at time 2. Findings – Results indicate that hedonia and eudaimonia, although strongly correlated, have unique effects on job attitudes and extra-role behaviors. Further, there is a synergistic effect between eudaimonia and hedonia such that experienced eudaimonia has a stronger effect on employee outcomes when hedonia is higher. Practical implications – Popular books highlight the importance of creating happy workers. However, one’s view of happiness/well-being at work influences the actions taken to improve such well-being. An important implication of this study is that firms should focus on creating an environment that fosters personal growth, a sense of purpose and a feeling of social significance in addition to hedonic happiness. Originality/value – Both eudaimonic and hedonic measures of well-being were examined and results indicated that both were important predictors of extra-role behavior and job attitudes. Such results not only highlight the importance of explicit examination of additional conceptualizations of well-being at work, but also indicate the importance of eudaimonia at work.