Shifting From Wellness at Work to Wellness in Work: Interrogating the Link Between Stress and Organization While Theorizing a Move Toward Wellness-in-Practice

Abstract

Guided by the theoretical underpinnings of the whole-person approach to wellness, we critique and adapt this framework to explain the combined complexities of organizational stress and wellness communication processes in a pediatric residency program. Using a qualitative, thematic analysis, we explore the link between employee stressors and participation in wellness resources found in a workplace wellness program (WWP). We find that despite good intentions, the organizational resources reproduced institutional norms, work, and stress, not wellness. Our findings suggest having a WWP that meets the four whole-person dimensions is not enough to ensure employee well-being and program success. Rather, WWPs must be connected to employees’ daily experiences and address the structural constraints of work. We conclude by proffering wellness-in-practice, a practice-theory extension to the whole-person approach, which weaves wellness into the everyday fabric of organizational life and promotes meaningful connections between work, stress, and WWPs.