Exploring how socially responsible human resource management supports supermarket frontline employee well-being in Singapore

Abstract

This study investigates employees' experiences of organisational and interpersonal support at a retail store in Singapore, as well as the role of support factors in employees’ well-being during service work. Three research questions inform this research, namely, employees’ experiences of proximal interpersonal support, experiences of supportive organisational conditions through an SR-HRM approach, as well as employees’ experiences of general factors in relation to their well-being.
A qualitative study design is employed in the study, which involved the conduct of semi-structured interviews of 16 front-line employees obtained from three major supermarket chains operating in Singapore. A theory-based thematic analysis approach, as embodied in SR-HRM, SE, and JD-R, is utilised in the study in a bid to reveal patterns of prevailing understanding regarding the three themes: supportive working relationships, strain, and flourishing.
This study has demonstrated that the well-being of employees on the frontlines of the organisation is heavily influenced by the support received from colleagues and superiors. Practices of the organisation that support the theory of SR-HRM are those that imply responsibility and care to employees on the frontlines. This gives employees a feeling of purpose, mastery, and positive social connections. On the contrary, relationships and technology appear to be the significant dual-role predictors of employees on the frontlines of the organisation. They are either a positive or a negative force depending on the overall support provided to the employees. Finally, it shows on employees’ eudaimonic well-being; resilience, consistent service quality, and stability of organisational membership.
The present study can make contextually relevant contributions in terms of exploring how SR-HRM is lived out in the lives of workers in low-margin/high-volume retail spaces in Singapore-based supermarkets. The practical implications of the present research indicate the importance of supervisors’ day-to-day activities in supporting workers’ well-being and sustainability in terms of service delivery in organizations like supermarkets during digital transformations and in having a diversified workforce.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	English
Supervisor	Naomi DALE (Supervisor) & Doug JACKMAN (Supervisor)