Give Me Five: The Most Important Social Values for Well-Being at Work

Reinaldo Sousa Santos () and Eva Petiz Lousã
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Reinaldo Sousa Santos: Research Unit in Business Sciences and Sustainability (UNICES), University of Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
Eva Petiz Lousã: Research Unit in Business Sciences and Sustainability (UNICES), University of Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal

Administrative Sciences, 2022, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Social values are very important for well-being at work. This study investigates which and how social values affect well-being at work and contributes to the growing interest that the issue of quality of life at work has aroused in the areas of human resources management (HRM). Semi-structured interviews were held with 21 active employees of a large Portuguese business group in the environmental sector. The study took place in two parts; first, in December 2018 and then two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in January 2022. Theories and concepts emerged from the thematic analysis and the subsequent consideration of the literature and emerging conceptual understanding. This qualitative interview study examines what employees expect from work experience about the behavior of leaders and supervisors as representatives of the formal structure of the organization and the behavior of co-workers as an expression of an ethical and positive work environment. The findings show the five social values most important for employee well-being: respect, trust, equity with no discrimination, help and gratitude. The knowledge of the social values with more impact on employee well-being constitutes very important information for human resource management and for the employees, themselves.

Keywords: human resources; employee well-being; social values; social interaction; respect; trust; equity and non-discrimination; helping and gratitude (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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