Guanxi HRM and employee well-being in China

Purpose Drawing on basic psychological needs theory, this paper aims to delineate how an indigenous Chinese concept guanxi HRM would undermine employee well-being in China. Design/methodology/approach The authors tested this moderated mediation model based on a survey of 321 Chinese employees. Findings The results are consistent with the hypotheses except for the moderating effect when employee well-being is operationalised as emotional exhaustion. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by investigating the dark side of guanxi via basic psychological needs theory and acknowledging the multidimensionality of employee well-being in the Chinese workplace.