Roles of Job Perceptions in Human Service Workers' Work Engagement: Application of Job Demands and Resources Model

Background and Purpose:  It is well known that the work environment of human services organizations is demanding. Such demands result in burnout among workers and higher turnover rates. Consequently, continuity of care and the quality of services provided to clients are often compromised. Conversely, work engagement refers to a “positive, fulfilling work-related state of mind with vigor, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeli, Bakker, & Salanova, 2006, p. 702)”. Research suggests that work engagement can impact an employee’s overall wellbeing, job performance, employee turnover, and client satisfaction. Therefore, it is meaningful to examine job characteristics that may increase work engagement among human service workers. Using the Job Demands and Resources Model as a framework, this study proposes to examine the impact of job demands and two job resources (rewards and autonomy) on work engagement of human service workers.

Methods: A total of 324 surveys completed by child care providers in central Texas were used for this study. Work engagement was measured with the 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and job perceptions (demands, rewards, and autonomy) were measured with the Child Care Worker Job Stress Inventory (CCW-JSI). Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine the impact of job demands, perceived rewards, and job autonomy on work engagement. Further analysis was conducted to examine the moderating effect of perceived rewards and autonomy on work engagement.

Results: Perceived rewards and autonomy positively predicted work engagement. Between them, perceived rewards was the strongest predictor of engagement (β =.439, p< .001). However, job demands did not predict job (dis)engagement in our data. For the moderating effect, the interaction term of perceived rewards and autonomy was significant (β = -.172, p= .004). The effect of job autonomy on work engagement depended on the level of employees’ perceived rewards. When the level of perceived rewards was high, the effect of job autonomy on work engagement was not significant. The effect of autonomy on engagement was only strong when perceived rewards were low; when perceived rewards were low, individuals with high autonomy are more engaged to work. However, when perceived rewards are high, people are engaged to their work regardless of their level of job autonomy. 

Conclusions and Implications:  Findings highlight the importance of having 1)positive feelings towards their jobs, and 2) having perceived control on the job regarding work engagement in human service work. Examination of moderating effects showed the importance of perceived positive feelings about their work to be engaged in the workforce, regardless of their perceived level of control over at work. To ensure work engagement of workers, regardless of their level of autonomy, various ways to reinforce employees’ positive feelings at work (e.g. staff recognition, networking, training programs, etc.) should be investigated and applied to improve the quality of services provided by human service employees. Considering the high demands of the human service organizations, future research may explore indirect effects of job demands on work engagement.