Enhancing employee well-being through a culturally adapted training program: a mixed-methods study in South Africa
Anurag Shekhar1, Musawenkosi D Saurombe1, Renjini Mary Joseph1
1Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Introduction:
Structured, well-being interventions are under-researched in non-Western workplaces. This study evaluates The Good Life training program-a participatory, multi-component training intervention-on employee well-being, engagement and stress in South Africa.
Methods:
Employing an exploratory, quasi-experimental, explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, we collected quantitative data from 50 South African respondents across three delivery formats (four half-days online, two full-days in classroom, and four half-days in classroom) at pre-training and 3 months post-training using five validated scales (PSS-4, UWES-3, SWLS, FS, WEMWBS-14). No concurrent control group was retained due to attrition and contamination; thus, causal inferences are cautious. Qualitative data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with a purposive subsample of 15 participants to elucidate mechanisms of change.
Results:
Two full-day workshops led to significant improvements in overall well-being and work engagement, whereas the online format produced a significant boost in well-being only. The half-day format showed no statistically significant changes. Qualitative findings highlighted immersive peer interaction, structured reflection and managerial support as core drivers of impact.
Discussion:
Immersive, HR-facilitated training shows promise for enhancing well-being and engagement in South African workplaces. Future research should employ randomized controlled designs, larger samples and objective measures (e.g., absenteeism, physiological indicators) to substantiate and extend these preliminary findings.
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