Employing employees's well-being in organisational change contexts : a qualitative study

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of organisational change on the lived experiences of employees’ well-being. A sample of six employees participated in the study. The requisite data was obtained using semi-structured interviews. The literature review aimed to conceptualise organisational change and its related constructs, to explore employee well-being and its related constructs, and to understand the impact of organisational change on employees’ well-being in organisational contexts. The specific aims of the empirical study were to explore the impact of organisational change on employee well-being, to provide a basic framework that may assist organisations in managing change initiatives directed at enhancing employee well-being, and to formulate recommendations for possible future research on the impact of organisational change on employee well-being. The findings of this study indicated that the impact of organisational change on employees’ well-being is generally negative owing to the uncertainty of moving from the known to the unknown. All employees are impacted by organisational changes. The findings further indicated that the adverse impacts of organisational change may be moderated by communication, participation in the organisational change process and support.