Promoting employee wellbeing and quality service outcomes: The role of HRM practices

Abstract

As a transformative service, aged care has the capacity to create uplifting changes and improvements to the quality of life for individuals and communities. Recent studies have, however, highlighted the pressures faced by aged care workers and the impact that these pressures have on employee wellbeing and quality of care. This paper explores the relationship between employee wellbeing and service quality. We present a model for the aged care sector which suggests that by identifying and implementing appropriate HRM strategies both employee wellbeing and service quality will be enhanced thus ensuring that this transformative service meets the needs of its many stakeholders. Essentially, we argue that employee wellbeing is directly linked to service delivery outcomes and overall business performance and that HR practices that address issues such as learning and development, employee voice and involvement and workplace health and safety play a significant role in enhancing and maintaining employee wellbeing.