High-involvement work processes, work intensification and employee well-being: a study of New Zealand worker experiences

Abstract

High-involvement work processes are at the heart of the current interest in high-performance work systems. A study of 775 New Zealand employees shows that greater experience of high-involvement processes is associated with higher job satisfaction. To a lesser extent, there are also better outcomes in terms of job-induced stress, fatigue and work—life imbalance. However, in situations where pressures to work longer hours are higher, where employees feel overloaded and where managers place stronger demands on personal time, employees are likely to experience greater dissatisfaction with their jobs, higher stress and fatigue, and greater work—life imbalance. Increasing the availability of work—life balance policies for employees was not found to ameliorate these relationships. The study implies that organizations that can foster smarter working without undue pressures to work harder are likely to enhance employee well-being.