Personality is predictive of burnout but not of work engagement: A one-year prospective cohort study

Research on the prospective association of job demands and job resources with work engagement is still limited in Asian countries, such as Japan. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prospective association of job demands (i.e., psychological demands and extrinsic effort) and job resources (i.e., decision latitude, supervisor support, co-worker support, and extrinsic reward), based on the job demands-control (JD-C) [or demand-control-support (DCS)] model and the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model, with work engagement among Japanese employees. The participants included 423 males and 672 females from five branches of a manufacturing company in Japan. Self-administered questionnaires, including the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERIQ), the nine-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), and demographic characteristics, were administered at baseline (August 2009). At one-year follow-up (August 2010), the UWES-9 was used again to assess work engagement. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. After adjusting for demographic characteristics and work engagement at baseline, higher psychological demands and decision latitude were positively and significantly associated with greater work engagement at follow-up (β = 0.054, p = 0.020 for psychological demands and β = 0.061, p = 0.020 for decision latitude). Having higher psychological demands and decision latitude may enhance work engagement among Japanese employees.

How to improve employees’ work engagement currently represents one of the most important areas of concern for organizations. Within the broader research field on work engagement and its antecedents, this study analyzes one specific aspect: the role of job resources in determining employees’ engagement at work. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed, along with a basic descriptive analysis, to examine a sample of 167 caregivers (registered nurses, nurse managers, home helpers, nurse's aides, and certified nursing assistants) in nine long‐term care (LTC) facilities in Italy. The results suggest that work engagement among caregivers in the LTC sector is significantly influenced by job resources. In particular, greater learning opportunities have direct effects on increasing work engagement among health‐care service employees. Furthermore, coworker support and supervisor support also play a statistically significant positive role in stimulating work engagement.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of employee age in the relationship between work engagement and several job resources.Design/methodology/approachThe study used questionnaire-based surveys completed by 804 employees from firms located in West China. The data were then analyzed by conducting latent moderated structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results of the study show that certain job resources (autonomy, recognition, colleague support, participation, job security and flexible work arrangements) are more effective for older employees in promoting work engagement, while other resources (job feedback, opportunities for development, skill variety and internal promotion) are more tailored toward younger employees.Research limitations/implicationsThe results suggest that job resources are not equally effective in affecting employee work engagement. Therefore, future studies should adopt a dynamic lifespan perspective when studying the relationship between job resources and work engagement.Practical implicationsThe current study indicates that to increase younger employees’ work engagement, organizations need to rely more on development-oriented job resources, and to increase older employees’ work engagement, they need to focus more on maintenance-oriented resources.Originality/valueThe literature on work engagement has assumed that the strength of the relationship between job resources and work engagement is uniform among employees at all ages. This study refers to two life-span theories from the development psychology literature to explain that there are age-related differences in the effect of job resources on employee work engagement.

The responsibilities of nurse managers are complex. Their actions are crucial to providing the best possible care to patients and to the success of health care organizations. Thus, nurse managers’ work engagement is essential. However, understanding of the antecedents of nurse managers’ work engagement is lacking. The job demands–resources theory posits that work engagement is contingent upon job resources and demands. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore which job demands and resources exert a major influence on nurse managers’ work engagement. Considering the literature, job resources and demands potentially relevant to nurse managers’ work engagement were identified. To investigate the associations between these potential antecedents and nurse managers’ work engagement, the study employed a cross-sectional survey. The dataset for analyses comprised 408 nurse managers in Germany and was analyzed by multiple linear regression. The study variables accounted for 26% of the variance in nurse managers’ work engagement. Positive associations were detected between the job resource of empowering leadership and nurse managers’ work engagement. Regarding job demands, lack of formal rewards and work–life interferences had negative effects on work engagement. The findings suggest that the job demands–resources theory can explain nurse managers’ work engagement. However, not all job resources and demands considered were determined to be influential. In conclusion, empowering leadership should be promoted in the work environment of nurse managers. Nurse managers should be provided engaging financial and nonfinancial rewards. Work–life interferences should be systematically mitigated.

This study aims to clarify whether work engagement mediates the relationship between job resources (i.e., supervisor support, coworker support, and job control) and work-to-family positive spillover (WFPS) for home-visiting nursing staff. This cross-sectional study surveyed 15 male and 152 female participating home-visit nursing staff across 108 home-visit nursing stations in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. In February 2019, each participant provided informed consent and sociodemographic information, and answered three scales, including the short-form version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale in Japanese, the Japanese version of the Survey Work-Home Interaction - Nijmegen (J-SWING), and the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ-22). We evaluated supervisor support, coworker support, and job control as job resources using the JCQ-22's subscale. We then evaluated WFPS using the J-SWING's subscale. The hypothesized model was then tested using structural equation modeling. Job resources were positively related to work engagement among the home-visit nursing staff; in turn, work engagement was positively related to WFPS. Job resources had no significant relationship with WFPS. These results suggest that work engagement mediates the relationship between job resources and WFPS. This study found that job resources were not directly related to WFPS for home-visit nursing staff. However, work engagement mediated the relationship between job resources and WFPS.

Purpose Job resources are positively related to work engagement within the motivational process of the job demands–resources model (JD–R). Little is known about mediating mechanisms within that process. The purpose of this paper is to examine self-efficacy and work–privacy conflict as mediators of the relationship between social support and work engagement in a sample of police officers. Design/methodology/approach In total, 811 German police officers completed a cross-sectional online survey that assessed social support by supervisors and co-workers, work–privacy conflict, self-efficacy and work engagement. Structural equation modeling was conducted. Findings Self-efficacy and work–privacy conflict partially mediated the relationship between social support and work engagement. The direct effect of social support and work engagement was confirmed, too. Practical implications Health promotion approaches in police work should foster social support by supervisors and co-workers. Social support eases challenges of work–life balance and self-efficacy and promotes police officers’ work engagement. Originality/value The findings validate the motivational process of the JD-R model in a sample of police officers. Job resources and personal resources are interrelated in the prediction of work engagement. Moreover, job resources facilitate dealing with specific job demands, which promotes work engagement, too.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine and conceptualize the reciprocal relationship between work engagement and job crafting. Despite the fact that both constructs are essential for comprehending employee motivation and proactive work behaviors, the existing research has examines their relationship in a fragmented fashion, either positioning work engagement as a predictor of job crafting or by examining its consequences. This paper integrates empirical evidence to explain the bidirectional association between the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) and Conservation of Resources (COR) theories. Design/Methodology/Approach: A literature review was performed including papers published from 2010 to 2024. The search was conducted in Scopus employing the terms "job crafting," "work engagement," and "reciprocal relationship." After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 empirical studies were examined. The research were categorized into three groups: work engagement as a predictor of job crafting, job crafting as a predictor of work engagement, and a reciprocal relationship. Findings: The review reveals that work engagement plays a dual role in relation to job crafting. Work engagement serves as a predictor that fosters proactive behaviors, prompting employees to reconsider their activities, relationships, and cognitive perceptions. Consequently, job crafting improves psychological empowerment, job resources, and meaningful work, all of which promote work engagement. A positive gain spiral is created by this cyclical interaction, whereby motivated workers create actions that increase their resources, which in turn boost engagement and support long-term performance and well-being. Originality/Value: This research significantly contributes by bringing together disparate information and providing a reciprocal analysis of the relationship between work engagement and job crafting. It expands JD–R and COR theories by emphasizing the reciprocal development of professional and personal resources. The outcomes of the study suggest groundwork for future longitudinal and intervention studies, providing employers with valuable insights into how to enhance employee engagement over the long term through job crafting initiatives.

ObjectivesTo analyse working conditions, work and health-related outcomes of supervisors working with people with severe disabilities in social firms.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingSocial firms who employ between 30% and 50% of people with...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine and understand the role of person-organisation (P-O) fit in mediating the relationship between job resources and work-related outcomes. The need to study the antecedents of P-O fit, dearth of its literature in India, and growing importance of ensuring congruence between the environment and the individual in a diverse workplace, to recruit and retain the employees, underlines the significance of this research. In addition to the mediating role of P-O fit, it was hypothesised that co-worker support and decision latitude will lead to an increase in P-O fit and, in turn, be positively related to work engagement (WE), job satisfaction (JS) and organisational commitment (OC).Design/methodology/approachTwo-phased time-lagged data were collected from a total sample of 213 middle- and senior-level executives working in India. The data consisted of a self-report questionnaire on skill discretion, decision authority and co-worker support in Phase 1 and P-O fit, WE, OC and JS scales in Phase 2.FindingsStructural equation modelling was simultaneously used to test the hypothesised relationships. It emerged that co-worker support and skill discretion positively correlated with P-O fit. It was found that P-O fit mediated the relationship between co-worker support and JS and OC. It also established partial mediation between co-worker support and WE, and between skill discretion and JS, organisational commitment and WE. The findings of this study, therefore, have profound implications for researchers as well as for practicing managers highlighting the need for a better job design and creating a supportive work environment.Research limitations/implicationsThough the data were collected in two phases, the study design went through a time lag of four weeks, and thereby provided tests of association and not of robust causal relationships. A longitudinal design could be adopted for future research, to enable making inferences about the causal nature of these relationships. The second limitation of the study is its reliance on self- reports as the single source of data.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine job resources as antecedents of P-O fit using a supplementary fit argument. Further, very few studies have explored P-O fit as a mediating variable and less than 2 per cent of published papers on P-O fit have been studied in the Indian context. Practitioners can employ findings to create interventions to generate more positive organisational outcomes.

New graduate nurses currently experience a stressful transition into the workforce, resulting in high levels of burnout and job turnover in their first year of practice. This study tested a theoretical model of new graduate nurses' worklife derived from the job demands-resources model to better understand how job demands (workload and bullying), job resources (job control and supportive professional practice environments), and a personal resource (psychological capital) combine to influence new graduate experiences of burnout and work engagement and, ultimately, health and job outcomes. A descriptive correlational design was used to test the hypothesized model in a sample of newly graduated nurses (N = 420) working in acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada. Data were collected from July to November 2009. Participants were mailed questionnaires to their home address using the Total Design Method to improve response rates. All variables were measured using standardized questionnaires, and structural equation modeling was used to test the model. The final model fit statistics partially supported the original hypothesized model. In the final model, job demands (workload and bullying) predicted burnout and, subsequently, poor mental health. Job resources (supportive practice environment and control) predicted work engagement and, subsequently, lower turnover intentions. Burnout also was a significant predictor of turnover intent (a crossover effect). Furthermore, personal resources (psychological capital) significantly influenced both burnout and work engagement. The model suggests that managerial strategies targeted at specific job demands and resources can create workplace environments that promote work engagement and prevent burnout to support the retention and well-being of the new graduate nurse population.

This study evaluated trends in the implementation of workplace measures against COVID-19 by Japanese companies. We conducted a prospective cohort study, using data from December 2020 and December 2021, with 13,419 respondents participating in the follow-up survey. We evaluated nine workplace measures against COVID-19 (e.g., encouraging mask-wearing at work) and used the McNemar test and the Chi-square test for trend in the analysis. Small-sized companies (1-9 employees) exhibited a significant increase in the implementation of all the measures, with a rate of increase ranging from 8.4% to 16.1% (P-value: <0.001). Medium-sized companies (10-49 employees) also showed significant improvements in nearly all the measures (rate of increase: 3.5% to 10.5%, P-values: <0.001 to 0.004), except for one specific measure. Larger companies (more than 50 employees) displayed a mixed pattern, with some measures increasing and others decreasing. A persistent gap was observed between smaller (fewer than 50 employees) and larger companies in the implementation rates of these measures. The findings revealed a positive shift in workplace measures against COVID-19 among smaller companies in Japan over 1 year, although gaps between them and larger companies persisted.

Objectives: We examined the associations among job demands and resources, work engagement, and psychological distress, adjusted for time-invariant individual attributes. Methods: We used data from a Japanese occupational cohort survey, which included 18,702 observations of 7,843 individuals. We investigated how work engagement, measured by the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, was associated with key aspects of job demands and resources, using fixed-effects regression models. We further estimated the fixed-effects models to assess how work engagement moderated the association between each job characteristic and psychological distress as measured by Kessler 6 scores. Results: The fixed-effects models showed that work engagement was positively associated with job resources, as did pooled cross-sectional and prospective cohort models. Specifically, the standardized regression coefficients (β) were 0.148 and 0.120 for extrinsic reward and decision latitude, respectively, compared to -0.159 and 0.020 for role ambiguity and workload and time pressure, respectively (p < 0.001 for all associations). Work engagement modestly moderated the associations of psychological distress with workload and time pressure and extrinsic reward; a one-standard deviation increase in work engagement moderated their associations by 19.2% (p < 0.001) and 11.3% (p = 0.034), respectively. Conclusions: Work engagement was associated with job demands and resources, which is in line with the theoretical prediction of the job demands-resources model, even after controlling for time-invariant individual attributes. Work engagement moderated the association between selected aspects of job demands and resources and psychological distress.

Orientation: Mining companies are major sources of employment in South Africa. Withstanding the challenges that the mining industry faces, maintaining work engagement of employees is essential to success in this context.Research purpose: To investigate the mediating effect of job and personal resources (in parallel and serial) in the relationship between the job demands and work engagement of employees at two iron-ore mines in a remote South African locale.Motivation for the study: Most South African research on work engagement in the mining industry focuses on the role of job resources. There is a lack of research investigating the influence of both job and personal resources in the relationship between job demands and mineworkers’ work engagement.Research approach/design and method: Data were collected using questionnaires from 238 employees working for two open-pit iron-ore mines. Three mediating relationships were investigated using variance-based structural equation modelling.Main findings: The results indicate that job and personal resources (in parallel) partially mediated the relationship between job demands and work engagement, with personal resources having a stronger effect than job resources. In addition, job and personal resources (in serial) partially mediated the relationship between job demands and work engagement but not as strongly as personal resources (in parallel).Practical/managerial implications: Despite job demands, mineworkers’ work engagement can be increased by investing in interventions and a work environment that enhances job and personal resources (such as mindfulness and psychological capital).Contribution/value add: The study bridges a specific gap in the literature by exploring the role of both job and personal resources (i.e., mindfulness and psychological capital) in the relationship between mineworkers’ job demands and work engagement. No previous studies explored these variables in combination in the South African mining industry.

Aim/purpose – This study aims to develop a model of the relationships between job resources (autonomy, recognition), personal resources (self-efficacy), and work engage- ment among academic staff. Moreover, the moderation of job demand was also exam- ined in relation to the association between these constructs. Design/methodology/approach – In the context of survey research, 554 questionnaires were distributed using a simple random sampling technique in public secondary schools of seven districts across Punjab, Pakistan, out of which 398 questionnaires were consid- ered usable for the research. To analyze the data, the structural equation modeling meth- od was applied through PLS-SEM software. Findings – This study found that recognition and self-efficacy have a significant and positive impact on work engagement. Furthermore, the study revealed that academic staff’s work engagement was not significantly affected by job autonomy. Regarding the moderation analysis, no moderating effect was found on the association between job resources, self-efficacy, and work engagement. Research implications/limitations – This study contributes to the existing knowledge on the JDR model of work engagement and has several implications. The current study holds practical importance for individuals in all fields, especially those in the educational industry. It is recommended that future studies expand the relationship between these variables across a range of industries. Future research may consider other relevant fac- tors and longitudinal studies as alternatives to cross-sectional observational studies. Originality/value/contribution – This study makes a significant contribution to the work engagement literature by examining how job resources and self-efficacy affect work engagement while moderating job demands. To increase the work engagement of academic staff, this study presents a fresh approach to optimal management, enhancing the implementation of job and personal resources that increase work engagement. Keywords: Job resources, self-efficacy, job autonomy, recognition, job demand, work engagement. JEL Classification: M10, M12, M19

BackgroundA previous study has shown that Japanese individuals generally exhibit behavior that suppresses the expression of positive emotions, which are strongly affected by affectivity traits. In the present study, to clarify the relationship between affectivity traits and work engagement (WE) or work-related psychosocial factors among Japanese workers, we compared it to the association between psychological distress and these same factors.MethodsA total of 1,000 full-time Japanese regular workers responded to an online survey that measured demographic variables, negative and positive affectivity, job demands and resources, WE, and psychological distress. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted separately, which used WE and psychological distress as dependent variables.ResultsThe proportion of variance explained by negative and positive affectivity was lower for WE than for psychological distress. However, the proportion of variance defined by job demands and resources was higher for WE than for psychological distress. The proportion of variance explained by all variables for negative and positive affectivity and job demands and resources, and their interactions was approximately equal for WE and psychological distress.ConclusionThese results emphasize when researchers aim to evaluate the change of psychosocial factors in the workplace, such as improving the workplace environment among Japanese workers, it might be beneficial to measure positive indicators in addition to negative indicators. Furthermore, enriching job resources would be effective in improving WE and alleviating psychological distress.