What Does Community Well-Being Mean in the University Setting? Staff Perspectives on Connection, Compassion, and Culture

Alyson L. Dodd (), Georgia Punton (), Lisa Thomas (), Elizabeth Orme (), Stewart Martin (), Nancy Hey () and Nicola C. Byrom ()
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Alyson L. Dodd: Northumbria University
Georgia Punton: Northumbria University
Lisa Thomas: Northumbria University
Elizabeth Orme: Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Stewart Martin: Northumbria University
Nancy Hey: What Works Centre for Wellbeing
Nicola C. Byrom: Kings College London

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, 2025, vol. 179, issue 2, No 17, 1025-1047

Abstract: Abstract Settings approaches are vital for positive health promotion at scale, including mental well-being. These can be designed to fit the local context where people live, work and study. Universities are large employers, and there is a drive for settings-based approaches in the workplace. Community well-being is about “being well together” as a collective, and can be applied to communities based on location as well as communities of shared values, interest and purpose, such as an organisation. Designing well-being initiatives and interventions could be informed through the community well-being lens. This study aimed to explore what university staff think are components of community well-being in the workplace. Semi-structured interviews guided by photo-elicitation (n = 15) explored the concept of community well-being. Three themes were created through Reflexive Thematic Analysis of the data: Social and Connected University; Physical Environment; and Compassionate and Supportive Culture. Activities, events and spaces that facilitate getting together, a campus and spaces within it that fosters identity and belonging to the university community, and a culture that nourishes connection, collegiality and participation are all key components of community well-being in universities. Understanding these components has implications for designing well-being initiatives that go beyond the individual. The components identified here also give insights into how community well-being could be operationalised in the workplace setting.

Keywords: Wellbeing; Community wellbeing; Mental health promotion; Higher education; Workplace; Qualitative (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11205-025-03651-5

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