Table 1 Positive and negative effects of...

Table 1

Positive and negative effects of HPWS on employee well-being and related outcomes

Study	Journal	Context/Sample	HPWS conceptualization	Positive outcomes	Negative outcomes	Key insight
Agarwal et al. (2025)	Human Resource Management	Indian IT companies	HPWS	Psychological meaningfulness and availability	Quiet quitting	Psychological meaningfulness and availability explain HPWS – quiet quitting link
Benítez-Núñez et al. (2024)	Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management	Hospitality sector COVID-19 context	HPWS	Job satisfaction	Hindrance stressors, turnover intentions	Hindrance stressors explain HPWS – employees' outcomes link
Bos-Nehles et al. (2023)	International Journal of Management Reviews	Review	AMO bundles	Performance, engagement, wellbeing	Unintended effects	HPWS should be studied as a multidimensional rather than a unitary system
Dorta-Afonso et al. (2023)	International Journal of Hospitality Management	Hospitality sector	HPWS	Job satisfaction	Burnout	HPWS improve job satisfaction partly because they reduce employee burnout
Dorta-Afonso et al. (2025)	International Journal of Hospitality Management	Hospitality sector	HPWS	Engagement, quality of life	Burnout	HPWS simultaneously create resource gains and strain effects through different pathways
Guerci et al. (2022)	International Journal of Human Resource Management	European organizations	HR practices	Happiness, relational well-being	Health-related well-being	Different dimensions of well-being may respond differently to HPWS
Guest (2017)	Human Resource Management Journal	Conceptual review	HRM systems	Engagement, satisfaction, and positive work experiences	Work pressure, stress, and work intensification	HRM may generate both positive and negative outcomes simultaneously
Günther et al. (2022)	German Journal of Human Resource Management	German teleworkers, COVID-19 context	Telework-oriented HRM	Job satisfaction, engagement	Psychological strain	Complementary effects of HRM and leadership on employe wellbeing
Han et al. (2025)	Human Resource Development International	Employees in organizational settings	HR practices	Employee well-being and performance	Strain	Employee well-being acts as important mechanism linking HPWS to performance
Han et al. (2020)	Human Resource Management Review	Conceptual and empirical synthesis	HPWS	Performance, motivation, engagement	Burnout, stress, and work intensification	Negative HPWS effects emerge under specific conditions when job demands outweigh resource gains
Jensen et al. (2013)	Journal of Management	US employees	HPWS	Employee attitudes such as job control and turnover intentions	Anxiety, role overload	Job control conditions HPWS strain effects
Kim et al. (2023)	Human Resource Management	Korean employees	HPWS	Employee resources and work-related attitudes	Mental health strain	Simultaneous resource and demand effects
Kloutsiniotis and Mihail (2020)	European Management Journal	European employees	HPWS	Reduced exhaustion	Increased exhaustion	The impact of HPWS on emotional exhaustion depends on the balance between job demands and job resources
Kloutsiniotis et al. (2021)	Employee Relations	UK employees	HPWS	Engagement	Exhaustion, work pressure	HPWS have a “dark side” where performance gains can coexist with reduced employee well-being
Li et al. (2024)	Human Resource Management Journal	Chinese employees	HR practices	Wellbeing, engagement	Stress	Different HR practices influence well-being through distinct mechanisms and should not be treated as a uniform system
Loon et al. (2019)	International Journal of Human Resource Management	UK public sector	Wellbeing-oriented HR practices	Employee support, psychological wellbeing	Pressure, cynicism, stress	Organizational well-being initiatives can create paradoxical outcomes and unintended consequences
Ogbonnaya and Messersmith (2019)	Human Resource Management Journal	UK employees	AMO-based HPWS bundles	Engagement, job satisfaction	Work pressure (bundle-specific)	HPWS bundles have differential well-being effects
Peccei and Van De Voorde (2019)	Human Resource Management Journal	Review	HRM systems	Happiness-related wellbeing and performance	Work intensification, strain	Different dimensions of well-being respond differently to HRM, helping explain mixed findings in the literature
Ramsay et al. (2000)	British Journal of Industrial Relations	UK employees	Performance-oriented HR practices	Productivity	Work intensification, strain	Performance gains from HPWS may result from intensified employee effort rather than employee empowerment
Shaw (2014)	Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior	Review	Performance-based rewards and pay HR system	High-performer retention	Confidence loss among others	Reward systems can motivate some employees while creating adverse consequences for others through workforce sorting effects
Shi et al. (2024)	Frontiers in Psychology	Chinese employees	HPWS	Happiness, performance	Health depletion	Different dimensions of well-being play distinct roles in linking HPWS to employee performance
Van De Voorde et al. (2012)	International Journal of Management Reviews	Review (multiple countries)	HRM systems	Job satisfaction, commitment, happiness-related well-being	Health-related well-being, work intensification	Different dimensions of employee well-being respond differently to HRM, helping explain contradictory findings in the literature
Wang et al. (2022)	Human Resource Management Journal	Chinese employees	HPWS	Lower burnout	Higher burnout	The effects of HPWS on employee well-being are contingent on organizational context, particularly departmental formalization

Study	Journal	Context/Sample	HPWS conceptualization	Positive outcomes	Negative outcomes	Key insight
Agarwal et al. (2025)	Human Resource Management	Indian IT companies	HPWS	Psychological meaningfulness and availability	Quiet quitting	Psychological meaningfulness and availability explain HPWS – quiet quitting link
Benítez-Núñez et al. (2024)	Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management	Hospitality sectorCOVID-19 context	HPWS	Job satisfaction	Hindrance stressors, turnover intentions	Hindrance stressors explain HPWS – employees' outcomes link
Bos-Nehles et al. (2023)	International Journal of Management Reviews	Review	AMO bundles	Performance, engagement, wellbeing	Unintended effects	HPWS should be studied as a multidimensional rather than a unitary system
Dorta-Afonso et al. (2023)	International Journal of Hospitality Management	Hospitality sector	HPWS	Job satisfaction	Burnout	HPWS improve job satisfaction partly because they reduce employee burnout
Dorta-Afonso et al. (2025)	International Journal of Hospitality Management	Hospitality sector	HPWS	Engagement, quality of life	Burnout	HPWS simultaneously create resource gains and strain effects through different pathways
Guerci et al. (2022)	International Journal of Human Resource Management	European organizations	HR practices	Happiness, relational well-being	Health-related well-being	Different dimensions of well-being may respond differently to HPWS
Guest (2017)	Human Resource Management Journal	Conceptual review	HRM systems	Engagement, satisfaction, and positive work experiences	Work pressure, stress, and work intensification	HRM may generate both positive and negative outcomes simultaneously
Günther et al. (2022)	German Journal of Human Resource Management	German teleworkers, COVID-19 context	Telework-oriented HRM	Job satisfaction, engagement	Psychological strain	Complementary effects of HRM and leadership on employe wellbeing
Han et al. (2025)	Human Resource Development International	Employees in organizational settings	HR practices	Employee well-being and performance	Strain	Employee well-being acts as important mechanism linking HPWS to performance
Han et al. (2020)	Human Resource Management Review	Conceptual and empirical synthesis	HPWS	Performance, motivation, engagement	Burnout, stress, and work intensification	Negative HPWS effects emerge under specific conditions when job demands outweigh resource gains
Jensen et al. (2013)	Journal of Management	US employees	HPWS	Employee attitudes such as job control and turnover intentions	Anxiety, role overload	Job control conditions HPWS strain effects
Kim et al. (2023)	Human Resource Management	Korean employees	HPWS	Employee resources and work-related attitudes	Mental health strain	Simultaneous resource and demand effects
Kloutsiniotis and Mihail (2020)	European Management Journal	European employees	HPWS	Reduced exhaustion	Increased exhaustion	The impact of HPWS on emotional exhaustion depends on the balance between job demands and job resources
Kloutsiniotis et al. (2021)	Employee Relations	UK employees	HPWS	Engagement	Exhaustion, work pressure	HPWS have a “dark side” where performance gains can coexist with reduced employee well-being
Li et al. (2024)	Human Resource Management Journal	Chinese employees	HR practices	Wellbeing, engagement	Stress	Different HR practices influence well-being through distinct mechanisms and should not be treated as a uniform system
Loon et al. (2019)	International Journal of Human Resource Management	UK public sector	Wellbeing-oriented HR practices	Employee support, psychological wellbeing	Pressure, cynicism, stress	Organizational well-being initiatives can create paradoxical outcomes and unintended consequences
Ogbonnaya and Messersmith (2019)	Human Resource Management Journal	UK employees	AMO-based HPWS bundles	Engagement, job satisfaction	Work pressure (bundle-specific)	HPWS bundles have differential well-being effects
Peccei and Van De Voorde (2019)	Human Resource Management Journal	Review	HRM systems	Happiness-related wellbeing and performance	Work intensification, strain	Different dimensions of well-being respond differently to HRM, helping explain mixed findings in the literature
Ramsay et al. (2000)	British Journal of Industrial Relations	UK employees	Performance-oriented HR practices	Productivity	Work intensification, strain	Performance gains from HPWS may result from intensified employee effort rather than employee empowerment
Shaw (2014)	Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior	Review	Performance-based rewards and pay HR system	High-performer retention	Confidence loss among others	Reward systems can motivate some employees while creating adverse consequences for others through workforce sorting effects
Shi et al. (2024)	Frontiers in Psychology	Chinese employees	HPWS	Happiness, performance	Health depletion	Different dimensions of well-being play distinct roles in linking HPWS to employee performance
Van De Voorde et al. (2012)	International Journal of Management Reviews	Review (multiple countries)	HRM systems	Job satisfaction, commitment, happiness-related well-being	Health-related well-being, work intensification	Different dimensions of employee well-being respond differently to HRM, helping explain contradictory findings in the literature
Wang et al. (2022)	Human Resource Management Journal	Chinese employees	HPWS	Lower burnout	Higher burnout	The effects of HPWS on employee well-being are contingent on organizational context, particularly departmental formalization

Source(s): Authors’ own work

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