Research trends, theoretical foundations and key determinants of employee well-being: a systematic and bibliometric review (2005–2025)

Employee well-being (EWB) has become a vital emphasis in organizational research, driven by heightened awareness of mental health, workplace sustainability and resilience. Current research is fragmented, lacking a complete synthesis over time and robust theoretical cohesiveness. This study utilizes a systematic literature review (SLR) and bibliometric analysis of 313 Scopus-indexed publications from 2005 to 2025 to address this gap. We employed Biblioshiny (R-package Bibliometrix) to analyze research trends, identify influential authors and sources and visualize collaboration networks among countries and institutions. Research identifies the antecedents of EWB as belonging to individual factors (e.g. mindfulness and personality), group factors (e.g. social support and teamwork), leader factors (e.g. transformational leadership, family supportive supervisor behavior), and organization factors (e.g. job design and organizational culture). The Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory dominate the field, although they insufficiently tackle the challenges arising from the digital revolution and cross-cultural diversity. This study enriches the literature by integrating IGLO levels with the JD-R framework, offering a comprehensive classification of EWB antecedents and highlighting neglected interrelations, such as work-life balance (WLB) policy, leadership styles and digital expectations.