Abstract:

Quantifying organisational happiness and well-being is a challenging, yet increasingly discussed research topic in the literature. Not only profit-oriented organisations but also educational institutions are concerned with this topic. Just as employee satisfaction and happiness increase corporate performance and output, it is also true that a satisfied and happy teacher is more motivated and committed to his or her teaching and learning activities. In the literature, research findings are mainly concerned with the well-being of students and learners, while the study of teachers remains in the background. The aim of the present research is to use a less known and less applied measurement method to identify the most important characteristics that most influence teachers' and professors' feelings of well-being. The study was carried out among institutions of economic higher education in a small country in Central and Eastern Europe during the Covid period. Since the indicators developed to measure well-being and organisational happiness have been subject to a number of criticisms, we sought a solution that could provide a holistic picture of the satisfaction and sense of well-being of teachers and professors working in the institution. The quantitative study involved 239 faculty members and 14 managers who completed questionnaires according to the 'GNH of Business' methodology developed in Bhutan. Following the logic of the method, 29 indicators were used to rate well-being based on individual satisfaction in 5 domains, followed by an organisational happiness index. The results show that organizational happiness is most influenced by non-monetary benefits in the area of quality of life, and trust is the most influencing factor within the psychological well-being indicator. On the side of organizational conditions, it is mainly managerial thinking and decision-making that can raise the value of the organizational happiness index through the indicators of cultural and ecological diversity.

Keywords:

Higher education, teachers, well-being, GNH of Business, trust.