Work Performance and Employee Well Being - Essay Example

Work Performance and Employee Well Being Before evaluating the link between work performance and well-being of an employee, it is customary to briefly discuss the two terms. Work performance is essentially such productivity of an employee at work that adheres to the quality standards established by the employer. In other words, work performance means productivity with quality. Well-being of an employee is an umbrella term used for the emotional, physical, and psychological health of an employee.

Well-being of an employee is depicted by his/her satisfaction and happiness. “10-25% of the variance in work performance is due to wellbeing related factors” (Millard, n.d.). Work performance and well-being of an employee have a cause and effect relationship with each other that runs both ways. Well-being is both a cause and effect of good work performance. On one hand, when an employee is psychologically and physically healthy, he/she is able to deliver his/her best at work and thus his/her work performance is enhanced.

On the other hand, good performance at work leads to better reputation of the employee in the organization so that the employee feels good while at work. Similarly, good work performance is both a cause and effect of well-being. When an individual shows good performance at work, he/she finds interest in work. This interest helps him/her work hard so that he/she earns the trust and confidence of the employer. As a result of this, the owner appreciates the efforts of the employee by rewarding him/her through increase of wages, additional benefits with wage, and/or a higher position in the workplace.

“People’s experiences at work affect how they feel about themselves, how they interact with their families and friends, how they use their leisure time, how anxious they are about the future and so on” (Fairhurst and O’Connor, n.d., p. 2). Any kind of reward increases the level of happiness of the employee and the employee’s overall well-being is enhanced. Work performance of an individual is an outcome of several variables that include but are not limited to the physical and mental health of the employee, the eligibility and competence of the employee in the work, the employee’s qualification and experience in the similar kind of work, and most importantly, the employee’s level of motivation.

Of all of these factors, employee’s well-being is the most fundamental factor that affects his/her performance because if an employee does not feel well, he/she might not arrive at the work at the first place. “Having healthy employees is good for business as they tend to be more productive and creative, and are less likely to take sick leave. As a result, your staff turnover is reduced and morale among your staff is maintained” (Business Link, n.d.). Considering the strength of link between employee well-being and work performance, employers need to invest in developing and adopting employee well-being programs.

“An employee wellbeing program is not a nice-to-have, it is an essential component of any successful business, giving you a clear competitive advantage to attract & retain the best people” (energiseYou, 2012). Such programs have a very good effect on the employees’ work performance as well as well-being. References:Business Link. (n.d.). Improve employee health and well-being. Retrieved from http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1084699219. energiseYou. (2012). Employee wellbeing.

Retrieved from http://www.energiseyou.com/employee-wellbeing. Fairhurst, D., and O’Connor, J. (n.d.). Employee Well-Being: Taking Engagement and Performance to the Next Level. Retrieved from http://www.towerswatson.com/assets/pdf/1550/Viewpoints_1550.pdf.Millard, M. (n.d.). Employee Wellbeing Predicts Performance. Retrieved from http://www.wellbeingwizard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=415& Itemid=196.