Enhancing employee well-being through a culturally adapted training program: a mixed-methods study in South Africa

Introduction Structured, well-being interventions are under-researched in non-Western workplaces. This study evaluates The Good Life training program—a participatory, multi-component training intervention—on employee well-being, engagement and stress in South Africa. Methods Employing an exploratory, quasi-experimental, explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, we collected quantitative data from 50 South African respondents across three delivery formats (four half-days online, two full-days in classroom, and four half-days in classroom) at pre-training and 3 months post-training using five validated scales (PSS-4, UWES-3, SWLS, FS, WEMWBS-14). No concurrent control group was retained due to attrition and contamination; thus, causal inferences are cautious. Qualitative data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with a purposive subsample of 15 participants to elucidate mechanisms of change. Results Two full-day workshops led to significant improvements in overall well-being and work engagement, whereas the online format produced a significant boost in well-being only. The half-day format showed no statistically significant changes. Qualitative findings highlighted immersive peer interaction, structured reflection and managerial support as core drivers of impact. Discussion Immersive, HR-facilitated training shows promise for enhancing well-being and engagement in South African workplaces. Future research should employ randomized controlled designs, larger samples and objective measures (e.g., absenteeism, physiological indicators) to substantiate and extend these preliminary findings.