The Dark Side of Well-Being A critical discourse analysis of HR language on well-being in organisations
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2025-06-26
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en
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This study examines how HR professionals discursively construct the concept of well-being in the workplace and which responsibilities and power relations become (in)visible in this process. Whereas previous research on well-being has often been of positivistic and instrumental nature, this study adopts a critical discourse analytical perspective. Through semi-structured interviews with twelve HR professionals from different sectors, there is analysed how well-being is positioned and applied within organisations. The results show that well-being is often approached as an individual responsibility, which means that structural causes of stress remain out of the picture. At the same time, well-being often serves as a means to achieve loyalty, retention, and productivity, thereby pursuing the interests of the organisation. Although HR professionals emphasise the importance of well-being, there is often a lack of explicit policy; initiatives remain limited to isolated and symbolic actions. Moreover, informal norms and unclear role expectations lead to tensions and implicit pressure on employees. These findings show how well-being dynamics are intertwined with neoliberal logic, in which self-management is presented as freedom, but actually have a disciplining effect. The study contributes to critical HRM research by revealing how language use of HR is not neutral but has a normative character. This paper calls for more conscious and structural policymaking around well-being.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen