Epistemic well-being at Work: A conceptual framework for human sustainability under algorithmic governance

Workplace well-being research has broadly conceptualised well-being as a subjective psychological state. At the same time, debates on artificial intelligence (AI) have framed algorithmic systems primarily as tools of efficiency or control. This dual reduction obscures a structural dimension central to contemporary organisations, particularly multinational enterprises operating across dispersed institutional contexts: the preservation of professional judgment under algorithmically mediated governance. This article introduces Epistemic Well-being at Work as an organisational condition in which individuals and collectives can exercise responsible professional judgment within distributed authority structures. Reframing AI as a regime of governance rather than a neutral instrument, the study proposes a conceptual framework linking algorithmic governance, dignity at Work and sustainable organisational outcomes. By repositioning well-being as a structural condition rather than merely an experiential outcome, the paper advances international business theory. It opens a research agenda on human sustainability in globally integrated organisations.