The well-being at work conceived and felt by Japanese employees. Convergences and divergences with French and American employees

Abstract

The controversy about the universality of workplace well-being is the basis for this study. Until it is assured, the external validity of recommended managerial practices for the Western workforce is questionable. Specifically, we investigate whether the general conception and also the way Japanese employees experience well-being at work is different from that of their Western counterparts. The case of Japanese employees is compared with that of American and French employees. The general hypothesis is that the conception of well-being at work is similar in the East and in the West, while the way it is felt—expressed by the original combinations of its constituent dimensions—is contingent. To test this hypothesis, a statistical approach centered on the variables and then on the individuals was carried out. The results obtained from 612 Japanese employees tend to confirm our hypothesis. While the constituent dimensions of well-being at work are similar to those observed in the West, some groupings of employees according to the way they combine these dimensions are specific. These original profiles are those dominated by a) the compatibility of different social times, b) the quality of relationships with colleagues and the manager, and finally, c) favorable relationships with social times and the material work environment. Thus, the managerial practices advocated to develop all the dimensions of well-being of Western staff may not be effective in establishments employing Japanese staff.