Do you remember? A study of the relationship between retrospective wellbeing and current wellbeing at work

Résumé 0

Wellbeing at work seems to have many virtues that benefit both the organization and the employee. Consequently, identifying conditions for its development is an important research issue for HRM. The theory of the “treadmill effect” suggests that general wellbeing returns inexorably to a set point despite temporary fluctuations due to episodic events. This set point and the return period appear to depend on personal predispositions. This result suggests that managerial efforts are useless. The aim of this research is to enrich this theory: we test its general hypothesis in the restricted field of work by adopting the perspective of psychological rather than chronological time. Empirical data collected from 374 employees reveal that a treadmill phenomenon exists following a job change. Current wellbeing is linked significantly to the recollection of wellbeing in the previous job. Contrary to a salary increase, improvements in an employee's work contract or hierarchical status significantly delays their return to the set point. This evidence reveals the importance of taking into account the workings of employees' memory at a time of boundaryless careers. At the managerial level, this leads to recommendations for career support.