There is an increasing prevalence of mental health challenges and related disabilities across workers. Relatedly, work-life balance and thriving at work are widely recognized as resources capable of improving the mental health of employees but their study in the case of employees with mental disorders is nearly non-existent. This research aims to shed light on how those variables combine with symptoms of anxiety and depression to shape the level of disabilities experienced by those employees. To explore those combinations, we used fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) with a sample of 104 employees with mental disorders. Analysis reveals six configurations of work-life balance, thriving at work, anxiety, and depression that consistently correlate with varying levels of disabilities. Notably, work-life balance emerges as a significant resource, while thriving at work exhibits a somewhat lesser impact. The influence of these resources is contingent upon specific combinations of anxiety and depression levels. Findings suggest that organizations can help alleviate disabilities in employees with mental health challenges by fostering their work-life balance and thriving at work, but this is notably dependent on anxiety and depression levels, and work-life balance seems to be more relevant than thriving. This is the first study to explore work-life balance and thriving at work among employees with mental disorders and their nuanced relationships with experienced disabilities. Adopting a configurational perspective drawing on three theoretical frameworks contribute to a comprehensive understanding of these dynamics.
