Workplace wellbeing is essential for the employee as well as the organisation, but it may not adequately capture the way wellbeing is experienced in Singapore due to its diverse multi-ethnic society imbued with Eastern and Western values. The present study explores Singaporean employees’ understanding and perspectives in relation to how they experience wellbeing at the Singapore workplace. With a total of 31 participants consisting of full-time Singaporean employees from 17 industries, we used reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2013) to interpret the data and develop the themes. These 13 themes are: accomplishment, autonomy, co-worker relationship, employee recognition, fairness, learning and professional development, meaningful work, organisational support, person-organisational fit, role clarity, support from boss, transparency, and work-life balance. This study has elucidated our understanding of workplace wellbeing in the Singapore context and set the direction for further research including the development of a new Singapore Workplace Wellbeing Questionnaire. This will in turn assist in future development of workplace interventions aimed at improving employee outcomes, leading to improved health outcomes in the Singapore population and sustained economic growth and success.
Chad Chew Eun Yip (ORCiD: 0000-0001-6702-6756) holds a Ph.D. from the School of Psychology and Counselling, University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He also holds a Master of Psychology (Clinical) from James Cook University, Australia and is a clinical psychologist. He is a full member of the Australian Psychological Society and Singapore Psychological Society. He is registered with the Singapore Register of Psychologists and is an approved supervisor. Chad is the Head of Psychology at Neurowyzr Pte Ltd, a neuroscience company specialising in brain health. He is also the clinical director of Asia Mind and Brain Center (AMBC), a subsidiary of Neurowyzr. Chad is involved in clinical work, product development and research. He is an adjunct lecturer and clinical supervisor with James Cook University, Australia (Singapore campus) clinical psychology team. Chad is committed to serve the ever-changing needs of the individual and society. Please direct correspondence to chadcheweun.yip@jcu.edu.au
Professor Emeritus Tony Machin (ORCiD: 0000-0002-0967-6934) joined the Department of Psychology at the University of Southern Queensland in 1992. He was the Head of the USQ School of Psychology and Counselling (2008-2018), a member of the Heads of Departments and Schools of Psychology Association (HODSPA) and the Treasurer from 2008-2018, a member of the APS Division of Psychological Research, Education and Training Forum (2014-2019), and an assessor for the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (2019-2023). Professor Machin consulted with a wide range of clients including Queensland Health, the Department of Public Works, Main Roads, Queensland Transport, the Department of Industrial Relations, Queensland Treasury, and the Department of Emergency Services. He completed needs analyses, organisational climate surveys, programme evaluation, and organisational improvement initiatives which involved the analysis of data from between several hundred to over 15,000 respondents. Professor Machin has over 50 refereed publications including publications in the area of occupational health psychology with a focus on the impact of work-related and other factors on individuals’ subjective well-being, health, and safety. He is also CI on an ARC Discovery grant (2018-2023) focusing on “Juggling priorities: How do tertiary students balance work and study?”.
Yong Wah Goh’s (ORCiD: 0000-0001-8621-0866) areas of expertise include occupational stress and wellbeing across cultures, mindfulness, and sustainability. He leads several international research projects and publishes extensively. He has developed a wide range of training workshops and assessment tools on work stress, mental wellbeing, and mindfulness. Yong Wah is also a Zen meditation teacher and an accredited traditional martial art instructor.
Acknowledgements
Our profound thanks go to all who participated and shared their experiences in this study.
Yip, C. C. E., Machin, M. A., & Wah Goh, Y. (2024). A qualitative study on workplace mental wellbeing in the Singapore context. The Qualitative Report, 29(7), 1981-2015. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6795
