Beyond Formal Wellness Programs: Informal Social and Spiritual Resources in Employee Well-Being at a Philippine Higher Education Institution

Ma. Francia Dechavez; Maria Joy Casano Iglesia

doi:10.56741/IISTR.jgi.002443

Authors

Ma. Francia Dechavez
mafrancia@cspc.edu.ph
Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5774-3692
Maria Joy Casano Iglesia Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56741/IISTR.jgi.002443

Keywords:

Employee Well-Being, Higher Education, Informal Social Support, Philippines, Wellness Programs

Abstract

Employee well-being programs are commonly evaluated according to the activities institutions formally provide. Such an approach may overlook resources that employees develop through everyday relationships, personal meaning, and support beyond formal organizational arrangements. This study examined employee well-being in a Philippine higher education institution, focusing particularly on an apparent mismatch between employees’ reported well-being and the institution’s formal wellness provision. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. The quantitative phase involved 215 regular teaching and non-teaching employees who completed a validated survey assessing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being and institutional well-being activities. The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 10 purposively selected employees, followed by thematic analysis. Quantitative findings showed high overall well-being (M = 3.42), driven particularly by social (M = 3.73) and spiritual well-being (M = 3.67), whereas physical (M = 3.06) and emotional well-being (M = 3.20) were moderate. This pattern contrasted with the institutional provision: formal activities were perceived as predominantly physical, while structured social, emotional, and spiritual initiatives were less developed or less consistent. Qualitative findings helped explain this paradox. Employees described supportive collegial relationships even in the absence of systematic social programs and reported finding spiritual resources outside formal institutional provision. Conversely, participation in physical activities was constrained by workload and scheduling despite their greater institutional visibility. These findings suggest that employee well-being cannot be inferred directly from the number or visibility of formal wellness activities. Informal relational resources and extra-institutional sources of meaning may substantially complement formal provision. Higher education institutions should therefore strengthen formal support without displacing the informal social relationships and personally meaningful resources that already sustain employees.

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Author Biographies

Ma. Francia Dechavez, Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges

is a Registered Guidance Counselor and Instructor I at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, where she also serves as Program Chair of the Bachelor of Human Services program. She holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and has extensive experience teaching psychology, counseling, research, and community extension. Her professional interests include mental health, psychological first aid, counselor education, and psychoeducational interventions, complemented by active participation in academic presentations and training programs. (email: mafrancia@cspc.edu.ph).

Maria Joy Casano Iglesia, Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges

has a doctoral degree in Business Administration and is currently designated as the Dean of the College of Tourism, Hospitality and Business Management at Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, Philippines. She has several published research studies and is working on research related to market assessment, gender and development awareness in partnered entrepreneurs, readiness of tertiary students to business concepts, theories, and applications, and operational management of slaughterhouses in the Philippines. She teaches business courses with expertise in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and related subjects. (email: joyidian@cspc.edu.ph).

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