Dawid Szostek

Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Toruń, Poland

E-mail: dawidsz@umk.pl

ORCID 0000-0001-6743-854X

The power of workplace relations: Impacts on employee perceived well-being and quality of life

Adam P. Balcerzak

University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn Poland;

Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czechia;

Centre for Business Research, Pan-European University, Prague, Czechia

E-mail: a.balcerzak@uwm.edu.pl

ORCID 0000-0003-0352-1373

Elżbieta Rogalska

University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn Poland

E-mail: elzbieta.rogalska@uwm.edu.pl

ORCID 0000-0003-4995-5791

Abstract. The primary objective of this article is to examine how the quality of interpersonal relationships in the workplace influences individuals’ self-assessed quality of life in both professional and private spheres within the Central European context. A supplementary goal is to investigate the extent to which this relationship is moderated by selected demographic characteristics, including gender, age, tenure, job type, and employment sector. The study draws on survey data collected among economically active individuals in Poland, representing the largest economy in the Central European region. The analysis of the primary data employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The proposed theoretical framework aims to identify how specific dimensions of interpersonal relationship quality affect two aspects of quality of life, as well as how these effects are moderated by respondents’ demographic traits. The findings confirm that the quality of workplace relationships, particularly the dimension of distance resulting from management style, but also interpersonal relationship-building methods and organizational climate, exerts a significant and positive influence on employees’ self-assessed professional quality of life. In contrast, regarding personal quality of life, only the distance resulting from management style dimension shows a significant and negative effect. Furthermore, the relationship between workplace relationship quality and quality of life is moderated by all analyzed demographic characteristics. The article also discusses the interrelations among the examined dimensions of workplace relationship quality and between the two life-quality dimensions, offering meaningful managerial implications.

Received: June, 2025

1st Revision: March, 2026

Accepted: June, 2026

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2026/19-2/1

JEL Classification: M12, M54

Keywords: quality of interpersonal relationships at work; quality of life; quality of personal life, quality of occupational life