It has been documented that there is a positive relationship between a worker’s subjective well-being and productivity, and individuals who are happy in their work have a better attitude when performing activities: happier employees are more productive. Turnover intention, on the other hand, may arise from various factors rather than merely the need to increase a salary, as the traditional economic theory states. The fact that the work performed does not contribute to the worker’s life purpose, that there might be a bad relationship with colleagues, or else might play a role in the search for a new job. This study aims to show the relevance of meaningful work in happiness at work and turnover intention. Data from 937 professionals, in 2019, in Mexico were analyzed. Regression analyses were used to assess the impact of meaningful work on happiness at work and turnover intention. Results show that meaningful work, feeling appreciated by coworkers, and enjoyment of daily tasks significantly predict happiness at work. A logit model showed that having a job that contributes to people’s life purpose, feeling appreciated, and enjoyment of daily tasks reduces turnover intention. The main contribution of the study is to identify the importance of elements of purpose and meaning in the work context, contributing to economic theory. Limitations include the use of single items from a more extensive survey, which might diminish the validity and reliability of the constructs under scrutiny. Future directions point towards the need for more robust indicators of the variables of interest, but the findings emphasize the importance of research focused on the meaning workers attribute to their own work and the effects this attribution might have on their own wellbeing, organizational results, and productivity, including a return of investment (ROI) indicators.

Well-being research has increased in recent years, making it essential to have validated tools that allow its measurement. The objective of this study was to adapt and validate the PERMA-Profiler in a sample of university students and employees in the Mexican educational context. Through a back-translation, an adaptation of the PERMA-Profiler questionnaire into Spanish was obtained. This version and other well-being measures were administered to a sample of 23,723 students (mean age = 21.50) and further to 2,783 employees (mean age = 36.08). Results showed acceptable reliability and good convergent and discriminant validity between well-being variables. PERMA score was strongly correlated with general well-being, positive affect, and life satisfaction, and slightly correlated with growth mindset and physical well-being. Confirmatory factor analysis using exploratory structural equation modeling revealed a better fit for the original structure of five factors, both in the sample of students and employees. Also, the results provide first indications for measurement invariance for gender and age. Validation of the PERMA-Profiler in the Mexican context showed good psychometric properties. It can be recommended as a valid tool for assessing well-being in the Spanish-speaking population.

Chile ha vivido un milagro económico en las décadas recientes. Se redujo la desigualdad de ingreso, creció el ingreso per cápita y disminuyó sustancialmente la pobreza. En el año 2019 se evidenció un malestar de importantes segmentos de la población que el gobierno, los organismos internacionales y los expertos no anticiparon y no lograron explicar con base en sus modelos de progreso social. Esta investigación argumenta que los indicadores de desarrollo económico de uso frecuente son insuficientes para captar la situación de bienestar en la población y para apreciar el progreso de las sociedades. Se utilizan datos de bienestar subjetivo para mostrar que Chile es un caso de crecimiento económico sin mejora de bienestar.

El objetivo de la investigación es contrastar los niveles de satisfacción laboral entre emprendedores y empleados. Para el estudio se usan datos de la Encuesta de Bienestar Autorreportado (Biare) del 2014. Se estima un modelo logit ordenado utilizando como variable dependiente el nivel de satisfacción laboral. El estudio identificó que aquellas personas que emprenden tienen 4.07% más probabilidades de declararse muy satisfecho con su situación laboral. La originalidad del trabajo radica en ser pionero en el estudio de los emprendedores en referencia a su bienestar subjetivo en México.

The objective of the research is to compare the levels of satisfaction between entrepreneurs and subordinates. For the study, data from the Self-Reported Welfare Survey (Biare) of 2014 are used. The work method is a statistical exploration of the data on entrepreneurs. The results suggest that there is no significant difference between the levels of job satisfaction of the two groups. A relevant finding is that entrepreneurs declare less satisfaction with life and with health than subordinates. This may be related to the fact that the owners of SMEs have high workloads with repercussions on their health. Among the limitations of the study is that the survey was prepared by INEGI and not by the researchers, given that it was not possible to incorporate some questions. The originality of the work lies in being a pioneer in the study of entrepreneurs about their subjective well-being. RESUMEN El objetivo de la investigación es contrastar los niveles de satisfacción personal entre emprendedores y subordinados. Para el estudio se emplean datos de la Encuesta de Bienestar Autorreportado (Biare) del 2014. El método del trabajo es una exploración estadística de los datos sobre emprendedores. Los resultados apuntan a que no existe diferencia significativa entre los niveles de satisfacción laboral de los dos grupos. Un hallazgo relevante es que los emprendedores declaran menor satisfacción con la vida y con la salud que los subordinados. Ello puede relacionarse con que los dueños de Pymes tienen elevadas cargas de trabajo con repercusiones en su salud. Entre las limitaciones del estudio se encuentra que la encuesta fue elaborada por INEGI y no por los investigadores, dado lo cual no fue posible incorporar algunos cuestionamientos. La originalidad del trabajo radica en ser pionero en el estudio de los emprendedores en referencia a su bienestar subjetivo. RESUMO O objetivo da pesquisa é comparar os níveis de satisfação pessoal entre empreendedores e subordinados. Para o estudo, são utilizados dados do Self-Reported Welfare Survey (Biare) de 2014. O método de trabalho é uma exploração estatística dos dados sobre empreendedores. Os resultados sugerem que não há diferença significativa entre os níveis de satisfação no trabalho dos dois grupos. Uma descoberta relevante é que os empresários declaram menos satisfação com a vida e com a saúde do que os subordinados. Isso pode estar relacionado ao fato de que os proprietários de PMEs têm altas cargas de trabalho com repercussões em sua saúde. Entre as limitações do estudo, a pesquisa foi elaborada pelo INEGI e não pelos pesquisadores, uma vez que não foi possível incorporar algumas questões. A originalidade do trabalho está em ser pioneira no estudo de empreendedores em referência ao seu bem-estar subjetivo.