Work engagement: More than engaging with work

Prudence M Millear; Roxane L Gervais

Work engagement is an important construct in the work environment, with research indicating the many positive outcomes for workers engaged with their work. However, there are ongoing discussions in the literature on how best to examine this and any negative effects from being 'too' engaged at the workplace. The symposium will explore work engagement in two samples drawn from homogenous occupations and one sample containing diverse occupations. In the first paper, Millear and Chong explored the role of intrinsically rewarding work for women working in the early childhood sector. Employees experience a paradox where their objective wages and work conditions are poorer than other jobs within the education industry; yet long term employees remain passionate about their work and highly committed to the best outcomes for children in their care. The study found that these intrinsically rewarding aspects led to greater work engagement, buffering the negative effects of job demands; highlighting the benefits of pleasant workplace amenities; and the satisfaction gained from the individual's relationship needs. Gervais and Millear, in the second paper, examined work engagement in a sample employed across diverse occupations. Rather than the specific focus of the first paper, the results of this study showed that across occupations, work engagement was strengthened by a more supportive work climate, more control of work tasks and surprisingly, more demands. The impact of increased demands in enhancing work engagement may indicate the development of an active job, as opposed to those passive jobs that result when too many resources and too few challenges exist. The third paper sees Millear and Rowbottom exploring the role of psychological capital toward managing the challenges in the workplace, as measured by the Areas of Work Life scale. The study focused on nursing staff working in the Australian aged care sector and examined the outcomes of work engagement, job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intentions. Interestingly, optimism about work conditions was the most important psychological capital that contributed to the women's positive workplace outcomes; along with sharing the values of the organisation, which were reflected in the women's qualitative comments. In the final paper, the three studies were subjected initially to a hierarchical multiple regression to explore the impact of work engagement as a predictor of workplace outcomes over and above the resources and demands that the individual faces. The findings showed that all of the block entries of variables were significant. Work engagement was a highly significant predictor for positive workplace outcomes, indicating that it was an additional resource for employees. Mediation analyses of the indirect paths involving work engagement used the PROCESS macros for SPSS followed. It confirmed the importance of work engagement as an indirect effect for boosting job satisfaction and professional efficacy, whilst lessening emotional exhaustion and cynicism. In summary, understanding the antecedents of work engagement identifies those factors that can be used by employees in the workplace, and highlights the benefits that the stronger sense of zest and enthusiasm for work has to buttress other positive outcomes for the employee.

Work engagement: More than engaging with work

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