Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies and the impact on well-being of employees in Danish private and public firms.

The management in Danish firms mainly takes voluntaristic decisions in their HRM practice i.e. following pragmatically, both economic and social oriented goals and strategies. Being voluntaristic, the decisions about HRM-related issues are based on a mix of control and commitment strategies, typically within a complex social context (HRM system). This voluntaristic decision is in keen opposition to the philosophy of the hard core of HRM that emphasizes strategic orientation in a detailed controlled deployment of human resources. This paper present a view of human resources deployment that management give employees discretion in the work organization (human resources are seen as an investment), that motivate and involve employees and create well-being among employees. So, management practices commitment strategies shape well-being among employees. This idea of management challenges the ability of the organization to persist, especially when organizational and technical changes have to be implemented by employees. So, the question is: How do HRM strategies connect to the employee’s well-being?

The analytical results presented shortly in the paper build on data from project Meadow (Employee and Employer Survey 2012) of Danish firms. One idea from the HRM- and modern Working life studies literature have been argued.