Work and home contexts are often guided by different expectations and value priorities, creating tensions that may undermine well-being and workplace engagement. Authenticity, the extent to which people feel able to act in line with their true selves, has been theorised as a buffer in such contexts, yet empirical evidence linking authenticity, values, and organisational outcomes remains limited. This paper reports three studies that investigate how values consistency and authenticity shape well-being and person-organisation (P-O) fit, and the extent to which authenticity can be enhanced as an intervention target.


In Study 1 (N = 79), participants completed matched surveys in both work and home contexts. Results showed that values inconsistencies between contexts, though generally modest, predicted lower authenticity at work, which in turn was associated with higher stress and lower well-being. Study 2.1 (N = 285) examined predictors of key organisational outcomes. Across four outcomes (job satisfaction, commitment, belonging, and turnover intentions) state authenticity and self-report P-O fit were consistently the strongest predictors, while trait authenticity and visual P-O fit measures were weaker. Finally, Study 2.2 (N = 180) tested causality through an experimental recall task. Participants who recalled an authentic work episode subsequently reported higher state authenticity and greater P-O fit compared to those recalling inauthentic episodes.


Together, these studies demonstrate that authenticity is both a personal resource and a potential organisational lever, enhancing well-being while promoting commitment and retention. By showing that authenticity can be experimentally influenced, the findings suggest practical pathways for developing more values-aligned and humane workplaces. This contributes to applied psychology by identifying authenticity as a driver of sustainable work practices, organisational resilience, and employee flourishing, and points to new directions in applied psychology focused on authenticity as a foundation for trust, responsibility, and well-being in contemporary work.