14975: A Person-Centered Perspective on Decent Work in Advanced Economies (session 25736)

This study explores profiles of decent work, ethical leadership, meaningful work, and thriving at work drawing on the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT) and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. Data was collected on a sample of 869 French workers. Results from hybrid mixture regression analyses identified five distinct profiles highlighting different combinations of decent work characteristics, including ethical leadership. Interestingly, some profiles indicated high levels of meaningful work despite limited access to decent work and ethical leadership, suggesting that decent work is about job conditions and tells poor information about decent experience of work. We observe that while decent work generally supports meaningful and thriving experiences, ethical leadership plays a unique role, particularly in contexts where decent work is lacking. Our results highlight the multiplicity of perceptions of decency in one's work and the impact of leadership on this, as workers react differently to high or low levels of decent work and leadership support. This study offers theoretical insights by extending the application of PWT and Herzberg’s theory to complex work environments and provides practical implications for managers and HR professionals aiming to enhance employee decency through ethical leadership practices.

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