Public sector employee well-being: examining its determinants using the JD-R and P-E fit models

This chapter deals with an important issue in every public organization: employees’ well-being, which the academic literature consistently relates to organizational performance. After addressing the definition of well-being, the chapter presents the two main theoretical lenses through which well-being is considered: the job demands-resources (JD-R) and the person-environment (P-E) fit models. With respect to these two theoretical models, the main empirical findings, specifically for public organizations, are described and discussed. Thus, variables are identified that can be considered as levers for or obstacles to well-being in public organizations. This permits an “institutional” reading of the antecedents of well-being, highlighting, among other characteristics, environmental, organizational, and task characteristics that are particularly important to consider when studying public organizations. Finally, the chapter also points out some gaps in the current literature and proposes new avenues of research for the study of well-being in public organizations.