Work environment conditions (e.g., the job demands) are being related to later employee well-being (e.g., satisfaction, stress, or health). We still have limited knowledge of what extent such relationships reflect the actual work environment or mostly individual characteristics (Kasl, 1998; Rugulies, 2019; Theorell & Hasselhorn, 2005). This line of research often relies on employee surveys, and self-reported work environment data is at least partly explained by the employee's own emotions (Lazarus, 2003). Overlooking and not controlling for this fact in psychosocial questionnaires may confound analyses and interpretations of how the work environment impacts employees. The present study had access to the stratified Danish Psychosocial Questionnaire (DPQ) and attempted to quantify the extent to which individual differences in emotions explain the longitudinal relationship between the work environment and employee well-being.
Work Environment and Employee Well-being
Work environment is here defined in broad terms referring to what the workplace is like at the current time, including job demands, job role clarity, and work relationships. Employee well-being refers to how workers feel over time based on their workplace, such as job satisfaction, perceived stress, and perceived health (See Lesener et al., 2019 for a comprehensive review). The work environment predicts how satisfied or stressed an employee is with their job (Fried & Ferris, 1987; Kavosi et al., 2018). Positive work environments are often the precursor for employees to feel positively engaged at work (Clausen et al., 2017).
Job demands encompass a job's physical, psychological, social, and organisational work environment. Quantitative job demands are about the extent to which a job requires employees to work long hours, meet tight deadlines, or handle a large workload (Clausen et al., 2017). Meanwhile, emotional demands relate to aspects of the job that require sustained emotional effort from the employee, such as interacting with challenging colleagues or customers (Jonge et al., 2008). Both quantitative and emotional demands are related to job dissatisfaction and reduced well-being (Bowling et al., 2015; Edvik et al., 2020; Idris et al., 2011; Li et al., 2022; Scanlan & Still, 2019).
Job role clarity is another aspect of the work environment, which refers to how employees understand their current job duties, objectives, and expectations. Roles are further limited by the level of influence an employee can exert to make decisions, set priorities, and solve problems at work (Clausen et al., 2017). Both job role clarity and employee influence have shown negative associations with job stress (Kavosi et al., 2018).
Work relationships emphasise the interpersonal environment with colleagues and leadership. Teamwork reflects the willingness and ability of colleagues to work together supportively (Clausen et al., 2017; 2019), whereas leadership relationships refer to the leader's ability to communicate, motivate, and prioritise employee well-being (Clausen et al., 2017). Leadership is predictive of employee well-being (Clausen & Borg, 2010, 2011; Kelloway & Barling, 2010; Kuoppala et al., 2008; Mullen et al., 2008). This line of research has suggested that leadership quality affects employee well-being more than most other factors (Gilbreath & Benson, 2004). Employees in collaborative relationships report higher job satisfaction (Clausen & Borg, 2011; Edmondson & Lei, 2014; Nielsen & Daniels, 2012; Stansfeld & Candy, 2006).
Negative Affect and Positive Affect at Work
Not every employee reacts in the same way to the same work environment. For instance, some people are more content, while others are more stressed (Steel et al., 2008). One of the most commonly used instruments to capture individual differences in emotions is PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule; Watson & Clark, 1994). PANAS is most often used for measuring ongoing emotional experiences (Merz & Roesch, 2011) and has reported relatively consistent test-retest stability over a year (Watson & Clark, 1994). Moreover, most of this stability seems to originate in the individual’s genetic make-up, and accounts for about half of the variance in most individual differences (Polderman et al., 2015). The impact of environmental experiences (for instance having a wage rise) on most individual differences tends to be small over time (e.g., Bühler et al., 2023). A study using PANAS longitudinally reported that at most up to 18% of within-person variance in positive and negative affect was due to effects from the environment (Cloos et al., 2023). Thus, work environments are accordingly not expected to greatly change employees, and is the reason why PANAS in the present study is treated as an individual control variable.
The two fundamental temperament states, negative affect and positive affect, have been shown to play a significant role in all aspects of well-being (Anglim et al., 2020; Steel et al., 2008). Negative affect is characterised by a heightened susceptibility to negative experiences and stressful environments, including stress in the workplace (Bowling & Eschleman, 2010; Carlson, 1999; Ebstrup et al., 2011; Heinisch & Jex, 1997; Luo et al., 2023). This type of emotional experience also extends to physical and mental health (Jeronimus et al., 2014; Kotov et al., 2010; Lahey, 2009). Individuals high in negative affect tend to be less happy in any kind of relationship and are more inclined to negatively attribute faults to others (Karney & Bradbury, 2000). In contrast, positive affect is a core aspect of outgoing and energetic behaviours and is associated with job satisfaction, general happiness, and overall life satisfaction (Wilmot et al., 2019). Thus, such individuals would be more likely to experience working environments more positively because of their predispositions.
Research Question
The present study aimed to quantify the extent to which negative and positive affect explain the longitudinal relationships between the work environment and employee well-being. The research question was as follows: How much of the relationship between the work environment (i.e., quantitative and emotional demands, job role clarity, employee influence, teamwork, and leadership) and employee well-being (i.e., stress, health, and job satisfaction) can be explained by individual differences in emotional experiences (i.e., negative affect and positive affect)?