Experience Of Work Engagement Research Articles

Is Autonomy Always Beneficial for Work Engagement? A Six-year Four-Wave Follow-Up Study.

Work engagement is expected to result from job resources such as autonomy. However, previous results have yielded that the autonomy–work engagement relationship is not always particularly strong. Whereas previous longitudinal studies have examined this relationship as an average at a specific point in time, this study examined whether this relationship is different within individuals from one time to another over the years. Furthermore, experiences of work engagement are expected to affect how employees benefit from autonomy, but no studies have so far investigated whether the initial level of work engagement affects the autonomy–work engagement relationship. This study aimed to first identify the different kinds of longitudinal relationship patterns between autonomy and work engagement, and then to investigate whether the identified relationship patterns differ in terms of the initial mean level of work engagement. The four-wave study was conducted among Finnish managers (n = 329) over a period of six years. Multilevel regression mixture analysis identified five relationship patterns. Four of the patterns showed a positive predictive relationship between autonomy and work engagement. However, the relationship was statistically significant in only one of these patterns. Furthermore, when the initial mean level of work engagement was high, autonomy related more strongly to work engagement. However, an atypical pattern was identified that showed a negative association between autonomy and work engagement. In this pattern, the mean level of work engagement was low. Consequently, autonomy may not always enhance work engagement; sometimes this relationship may even be negative.

Dimensions of social support in the experience of work engagement in middle age: A Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 Study.

So far, the relationship between the various dimensions of social support and work engagement has not been widely examined in the literature. In this study, we examined the relationship of social support at work (from a colleague or supervisor) and social support in one's private life (from a spouse, relative or friend) with various dimensions of work engagement (vigor, dedication and absorption). The participants (N=5,259-5,376, 46years-old, 52.7% women) came from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study. Social support was evaluated with the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), and work engagement was assessed with a short version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). The data were analyzed using linear regression analyses. The results showed that high social support at work (p<0.001) and in one's private life (p<0.001) were associated with higher total work engagement, higher vigor, higher dedication, and higher absorption. These findings were adjusted for gender, marital status, education and occupational status. The results were essentially unchanged when they were additionally adjusted for job strain and effort-reward imbalance. To conclude, our findings indicate that the experience of overall social support may play a role in the experience of work engagement.

A Qualitative Case Study on Experiences of Universities and Industries Linkages in Nigeria

Experience is seen as a fact or evidence of engaging in doing something e.g. learned a lesson in the classroom, work engagement experience and painful experiences such as a scene of difficulties in work-related activity or event. The experiences of the industries in the employability of graduates are widely explored to build on descriptive research approach geared to examine the employability skills close to the Nigerian context and linkages between universities-industries. The National Youths Service Corps experiences help graduates to know various kinds of industrial practices, work ethics, and integrate the importance of theoretical knowledge gained from the university and incorporate into industrial practice. Extra curricula training experience in university-industry linkages help graduates to perform very effectively and efficiently in some special skills. Internship and modern uses of technological experience help to advance career development in a particular environment and help to know the newest technologies relevant to the industry. This study recommends that universities and industries should enhance linkages among management boards, foster strategic plans and directions, collaborates on research, and create policies for the effective governance of industries linkages for promoting an important institutional approach to build industries linkages. Finally, Universities should improve in various strategies such as offering work experience, work-related learning and employability skills modules, ready for work events, as well as involving industry employers in course design and delivery.

Engaged managers are not workaholics: Evidence from a longitudinal personcentered analysis

The aims of this two-year follow-up study among Finnish managers (n=463) were twofold: first, to investigate the relation between work engagement and workaholism by utilizing both variable- and person-centered approaches and second, to explore whether and how experiences of work engagement and workaholism relate to job change during the study period. The variable-centered analysis based on Structural Equation Modelling revealed that the latent factors of work engagement and workaholism did not correlate with each other, thereby suggesting that they are independent constructs. The personcentered inspection with Growth Mixture Modelling indicated four work engagement-workaholism classes: 1) “high decreasing WE-low stable WH” (18%), 2) “low increasing WE-average decreasing WH” (7%), 3) “low decreasing WE-low stable WH” (6%), and 4) “high stable WE-average stable WH” (68%). Overall, these results suggest first that also at the intra-individual level work engagement and workaholism were largely independent psychological states (changes in work engagement and workaholism were related only in the class “low increasing WE-average decreasing WH”, 7%); second, job conditions had an impact on the levels of both work engagement and workaholism as, typically, the participants in the class “low increasing WE-average decreasing WH” had typically changed their job during the study period. The fact that work engagement and workaholism are sensitive to job changes suggests that both psychological conditions depend – at least partly – on the individual's work situation.

Engagement in RNs Working in Magnet®-Designated Hospitals

This study analyzed and evaluated the relationships between work engagement (WE) and work experience among acute-care RNs in Magnet®-designated hospitals. The organizational structures of Magnet-designated hospitals are recognized to promote RN engagement, yet limited knowledge exists on engendering engagement to the same degree in all nurses. The study used a descriptive, correlational design. A convenience sample of RNs (n = 220) completed 2 surveys to measure WE, RN experience, and unit longevity (years of experience in the current setting). Significant relationships were found between WE and RN experience in any setting, within the consistent organizational structures of Magnet-designated hospitals. This study highlights the importance of organizational structures and the significance of RN experience in creating engagement among nurses. Enhancing engagement in the RN workforce facilitates retention and improved outcomes for patients, nurses, and organizations.