THE ROLE OF OCCUPATIONAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS IN RELATION TO WORK ENGAGEMENT IN POLISH SAMPLE OF EMPLOYEES – INITIAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/JPM.2017.130Keywords
work engagement, occupational groups differences, gender differences, age differences, job position differences, Polish employeesAbstract
Purpose: The aim of the present study is to analyze the differences in work engagement in terms of occupational groups (teachers, nurses, physicians, policemen, telesales operators, blue collar workers, employing in accounting/finance, sales representatives, welfare services/rehabilitation, office workers in public sector, and bank and IT employees), job position (managerial and non-managerial), age, and gender in Polish sample of employees.
Methodology: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 3186 employees representing different occupational groups. The measure was the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) by Schaufeli and Bakker (2003). To examine differences in work engagement in terms of occupational group and age, one-way ANOVA and post-hoc tests (Tukey’s HSD) were conducted. Differences in work engagement concerning job position and gender were performed using independent samples t tests.
Findings: The findings indicated that employees differ in work engagement depending on studied factors. In terms of occupational group, the most engaged are sales representatives, welfare services/rehabilitation, and teachers, and least engaged - telesales operators and blue collar workers. Older employees (+50) appeared to be more engaged than youngers, as well managers in comparison to non-managers. While women reported higher level of absorption and dedication than men, but no gender differences were observed in regard to vigor.
Implications: Results show that occupational factors, as profession and job position, as well demographic ones should not be ignored in relation to work engagement. Managers, in order to increase engagement among their subordinates should pay special attention to some groups of employees in terms of age, gender, and the occupation.
Originality/value: The current study extends previous research by examining occupational and demographic differences in the level of work engagement. To the best of author’s knowledge this is the first examination of this type conducted in such large sample among Polish employees.
References
Ali, N., Baloch, Q.B. (2009), „Predictors of organizational commitment and turnouver intentions of medical representatives (an empirical evidence of Pakistani companies)”, Journal of Managerial Sciences, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 263-273.
Babcock-Roberson, M., Strickland, O.J. (2010), “The relationship between charismatic leadership, work engagement, and organizational citizenship behaviors”, The Journal of Psychology, Vol. 144 No. 3, pp. 313-326.
Bakker, A.B. (2009), “Building engagement in the workplace”, in: Burke R.J., Cooper C.L. (Eds.), The peak performing organization, Oxon, UK: Routledge, pp. 50-72.
Bakker, A.B., Bal, P.M. (2010), “Weekly work engagement and performance: a study among starting teachers”, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 83, pp. 189-206. DOI: 10.1348/096317909X402596
Bakker, A.B., Schaufeli, W.B., Leiter, M.P., Taris, T.W. (2008), “Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology”, Work & Stress, Vol. 22 No. 3, pp. 187-200. DOI: 10.1080/02678370802393649
Bezuidenhout, A., Cilliers, F.V.N. (2010), “Burnout, work engagement and sense of coherence in female academics in higher-education institutions in South Africa”, South Africa Journal of Industrial Psychology, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 1-10. DOI: 10.4102/sajip.v36i1.872
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A.B., de Jonge, J., Janssen, P.P., Schaufeli, W.B. (2001), Burnout and engagement at work as a function of demands and control, Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 279-286. DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.615
Haley, L.-M., Mostert, K., Els, C. (2013), “Burnout and Work Engagement for Different Age Groups: Examining Group-Level Differences and Predictors”, Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 283-296.
Hallberg, U.E., Johansson, G., Schaufeli, W.B. (2007), “Type A behavior and work situation: Associations with burnout and work engagement”, Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 48 No. 2, pp. 135-142. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2007.00584.x
Hobfoll, S.E. (1989), “Conservation of Resources. A new Attempt at Conceptualizing Stress”, American Psychologist, Vol., 44 No. 3, pp. 513-524.
Hobfoll, S.E. (2006), Stres, kultura i społeczność. Psychologia i filozofia stresu, Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Psychologiczne, Gdańsk.
Hoole, C., Bonnema, J. (2015), “Work engagement and meaningful work across generational cohorts”, South Africa Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 13 No. 1. DOI: 10.4102/sajhrm.v13i1.681
Innstrand, S.T. (2016), “Occupational differences in work engagement: A longitudinal study among eight occupational groups in Norway”, Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 57 No. 4, pp. 338-349. DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12298
James, B.J., McKechnie, S., Swanberg, J. (2011), “Predicting employee engagement in an age-diverse retail workforce”, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 32, pp. 173-196. DOI: 10.1002/job.681
Jaworek, M., Dyląg, A. (2015), “Perception of work environment among women and men: workload and autonomy in relation to job engagement”, Jagiellonian Journal of Management, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 155-174. DOI: 10.4467/2450114XJJM.15.012.4469
Jaworek, M., Dyląg, A. (2016), “Workaholism and work engagement: differences and mutual relationship”, Jagiellonian Journal of Management, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 275-286. DOI: 10.4467/2450114XJJM.16.022.6091
Kahn, W.A. (1990), “Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 33 No. 4, pp. 692-724.
Narainsamy, K., van der Westhuizen, S. (2013), “Work Related Well- Being: Burnout, Work Engagement, Occupational Stress and Job Satisfaction Within a Medical Laboratory Setting”, Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 467-474. DOI: 10.1080/14330237.2013.10820653
Pocnet, C., Antonietti, J.-Ph., Massoudi, K., Györkös, Ch., Becker, J., de Bruin, G.P., Rossier, J. (2015), “Influence of Individual Characteristics on Work Engagement and Job Stress in a Sample of National and Foreign Workers in Switzerland”, Swiss journal of Psychology, Vol. 74 No. 1, pp. 17-27. DOI: 10.1024/1421-0185/a000146
Rothmann, S. (2008), “Job satisfaction, occupational stress, burnout and work engagement as components of work-related wellbeing”, South Africa Journal of Industrial Psychology, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 11-16.
Schaufeli, W.B., Bakker, A. (2004), „Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: a multi-sample study”, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 25, pp. 293-315. DOI: 10.1002/job.248
Schaufeli, W.B., Bakker, A.B. (2003), Test manual for the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, unpublished manuscript, available at: http://www.schaufeli.com.
Schaufeli, W.B., Bakker, A.B., Salanova, M. (2006), “The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: a cross national study”, Educational and Psychological Measurement, Vol. 66, pp. 701-716. DOI: 10.1177/0013164405282471
Schaufeli, W.B., Salanova, M., Gonzales-Roma, V., Bakker, A. (2002), “The measurement of engagement and burnout: a two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach”, Journal of Happiness Studies, Vol. 3, pp. 71-92.
Schaufeli, W.B., Taris, T.W., van Rhenen, W. (2008), “Workaholism, Burnout, and Work Engagement: Three of a Kind or Three different Kinds of Employee Well-being?”, Applied Psychology: An International Review, Vol. 57 No. 2, pp. 173-203. DOI: 10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00285.x
Schneider, B. (1987), “The people make the place”, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 40, pp. 437-453.
Shimazu, A., Schaufeli, W.B., Kamiyama, K., Kawakami, N. (2015), „Workaholism vs. Work engagement: the two different predictors of future well-being and performance”, International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Vol. 22, pp. 18-23. DOI: 10.1007/s12529-014-9410-x
Steyn, R., Grobler, S. (2016), “Sex differences and work engagement: a study cross 27 South African Companies”, Journal of Contemporary Management, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 461- 481.
Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A.B., Demerouti, E., Schaufeli, W.B. (2007), “The Role of Personal Resources in the Job Demands-Resources Model”, International Journal of Stress Management, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 121-141. DOI: 10.1037//1072-5245.14.2.121
Zaidi, N.R., Wajid, R.A., Zaidi, F.B., Zaidi, G.B., Zaidi,
M.T. (2013), “The big five personality traits and their relationship with work engagement among public sector university teachers at Lahore”, African Journal of Business Management, Vol. 7 No. 15, pp. 1344-1353. DOI: 10.5897/AJBM12.290
Zawadzki, B., Strelau, J., Szczepaniak, P., Śliwińska, M. (1998), Inwentarz osobowości NEO-FFI Costy i McCrae. Adaptacja polska. Podręcznik, Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych: Warszawa.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright
Articles submitted to the journal should not have been published before in their current or substantially similar form, or be under consideration for publication with another journal. Authors submitting articles for publication warrant that the work is not an infringement of any existing copyright and will indemnify the publisher against any breach of such warranty. For ease of dissemination and to ensure proper policing of use, papers and contributions become the legal copyright of the publisher unless otherwise agreed.
Plagiarism and ghostwriting
In response to the issue of plagiarism and ghostwriting the editors of the Journal of Positive Management has introduced the following rules to counteract these phenomena:
1. Contributors should be aware of their responsibility for a content of manuscripts.
2. Collective authors are obliged to reveal the contribution and an affiliation of each author (i.e. who is an author of specified part of a paper).
3. Any act of dishonesty will be denounced, the editors will inform appropriate institutions about the situation and give evidence of all cases of misconduct and unethical behaviour.
4. The editors may ask contributors for financial disclosure (i.e. contribution of specified institutions).
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 485
Number of citations: 0