Defining and enacting wellbeing strategy in organisations: A paradox theory perspective.

The concept of a holistic wellbeing strategy is an emerging phenomenon in organisations. Whilst there is significant research regarding individual initiatives or theories concerning wellbeing, more work is needed to define and describe a holistic organisational wellbeing strategy, how stakeholders experience this, and the potential (unintended) consequences for employees and organisations. In this paper, we utilise critical realism, paradox theory, the comparative case study approach, and semi-structured interviews to answer these key questions. Through our analysis we identify five key tenets of a holistic organisational wellbeing strategy. We also find that such strategies may well lead to damaging unintended consequences for both employers and employees and may be inherently paradoxical. Our analysis contributes a new critical realist and paradox theory lens to the ongoing debates around the nature, importance, outcomes, and employee experiences of wellbeing strategies in organisations.