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Wellbeing at Work: An Introduction

Understand the importance of employee wellbeing, and consider different definitions of and theoretical approaches to wellbeing.

6,541 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
This course is part of the program Work and Wellbeing, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in MSc Business and Organisational Psychology. Find out more.

Explore the theory and importance of good wellbeing at work

Why is employee wellbeing important? How has employee wellbeing previously been defined and what is its impact on our working lives?

Get answers to these questions and more on this course, exploring key definitions of wellbeing at work. You will consider the reach of theoretical approaches to wellbeing from occupational psychology and explore both positive and negative aspects of workplace welfare.

You will also be introduced to methods of assessing employee wellbeing, gain an overview of the key issues related to wellbeing at work, and consider the factors affecting wellbeing.

What topics will you cover?

  • The historical context of wellbeing and existing definitions
  • A brief overview of theoretical approaches to wellbeing in occupational psychology
  • A brief overview of wellbeing across individuals’ working lives
  • The positive and negative aspects of wellbeing at work
  • The key issues around wellbeing for employees, managers and organisations
  • A brief overview of factors affecting wellbeing

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explore the historical context of wellbeing and existing definitions
  • Critically evaluate theoretical approaches to wellbeing in organisational psychology, relevant to wellbeing
  • Discuss the impact of wellbeing on individuals’ working lives
  • Identify the positive and negative aspects of wellbeing at work
  • Assess the key issues around wellbeing for employees, managers and organisations

Who is the course for?

This course is for anyone looking to gain a greater insight into wellbeing at work.

The course is also part of the MSc Business and Organisational Psychology, accredited by the Association for Business Psychology.

Who will you learn with?

Lecturer in occupational and business psychology at Coventry University.
Maria Charalampous (AFHEA, MBPsS) is a doctoral researcher and qualified test user: occupational, ability, personality.

Who developed the course?

Coventry University

Coventry secured 5 QS Stars for Teaching and Online Learning in the QS World University Ranking 2020 and has received No. 1 in the world for Massive Open Online Courses in MoocLab’s World University Ranking 2021.

  • Established

    1992
  • Location

    Coventry

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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Advance your career with a degree

Since 2017 you have been able to take a degree on FutureLearn. This free course is a bit like a starter course for a degree — it should give you a flavour of the degree subject but can also be your first step towards a degree qualification.

If you enjoy this course you can apply to join the program it’s part of to start working towards a degree on FutureLearn.

Don’t worry, you can still take the course without doing a full degree!

Do the free course
Join and complete the program
Get academic credit for an online degree from Coventry University
This course is part of the program Work and Wellbeing, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in MSc Business and Organisational Psychology.

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