The impact of quality of interpersonal relationships at work on self-assessment of psychosomatic well-being : results from a study of employees in Poland

Abstract

Purpose: The article's main objective is to determine how the quality of interpersonal relationships at work affects employees' self-assessment of psychosomatic well-being. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research objectives were met using a survey conducted in 2018 among 574 professionally active Poland people. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in the analysis of the empirical data. Findings: The proposed theoretical model was designed to determine how particular categories of relationship quality affect employees' self-assessment of health and any health complaints they were experiencing. It was established that relationship quality positively influences self-assessment of health (the greater the quality, the more highly health was assessed), while it negatively influenced the experience of health complaints (the greater the quality, the fewer the complaints). Practical implications: Every organization should pay special attention to the quality of interpersonal relationships at work. Low quality can negatively affect employees' assessment of their own psychophysical well-being, resulting in lower productivity, increased absenteeism, or higher staff turnover. High-quality relationships can improve well-being, which will translate positively into the functioning of an organization. Therefore, the quality of relationships should be constantly monitored, and the organization should use some tools to build high-quality relationships at work. Originality/value: There is currently a gap in the literature about the impact of the quality of the relationships at work on employees' self-assessment of health. The article fulfills this gap and focuses not only on the cardiovascular system but also on immune and endocrine systems and the employees' psychological well-being.