Implications for future research
This study has several important implications for the literature on HRM. This is the first study
that revealed that the coverage of employees in a work unit by HPWS practices relates to both
HR well-being and HR performance attributions. It therefore responds to Nishii et al.’s (2008)
call to study how enacted HPWS influence employee attribution processes. Future research
could investigate more directly which features of enacted HPWS practices as outlined by
Bowen and Ostroff (2004) (e.g. distinctiveness, consistency and consensus) can further stimulate
the formation of attributions. Examples of how to measure these features can be found in recent
studies (e.g. Delmotte et al., 2012).
Second, this study answered the call by Van De Voorde et al. (2012) for research on the
underlying mechanisms through which HPWS affects employee happiness- and employee
health-related outcomes. Overall, we found more support for the optimistic perspective than forthe critical perspective as the HR well-being attributions were related to commitment and job
strain, whereas the HR performance attribution was only related to job strain. HPWS affect
commitment through the mechanism of HR well-being attributions. Nevertheless, HPWS are
associated with job strain through two counterbalancing processes via HR performance and
well-being attributions. As enacted HPWS facilitate the process of HR well-being and
performance attribution making, it would be worthwhile for future research to focus on how
combinations of these two HR attributions are related to outcomes. Consistent with the JDR
model (Bakker et al., 2004), well-being attributions may function as a buffer (resource) for the
negative health consequences of HR performance attributions.
In sum, this study focused on examining the impact of HPWS on two types of HR
attributions regarding HPWS, and further how these HR attributions influence happiness- and
health-related outcomes. The findings of this study underline the importance of taking into
account how employees attach meaning to enacted HPWS in order to predict employee
outcomes. Moreover, it stresses the need for a more balanced approach to the effects of HPWS
by taking into account both the optimistic and critical perspective on the effects of HPWS on
happiness- and health-related outcomes.