The Work/Nonwork Spillover: The Enrichment Role of Work Engagement

Liat Eldor, Itzhak Harpaz, Mina Westman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study examines whether work engagement enriches employees beyond the contribution of the domain of work, focusing on satisfaction with life and community involvement. Moreover, the ambivalence of scholars about the added value of the work engagement concept compared with similar work-related attitudes prompted us to assess the benefits that work engagement offers with regard to improving one’s satisfaction with life and community involvement compared with the benefits of other, similar work-related attitudes such as job involvement and job satisfaction. Furthermore, given the studies indicating the impact of sector of employment (public vs. business) on understanding the work/nonwork nexus, the current study also investigates the effect of the sector of employment on this enrichment process. Utilizing multilevel modeling analysis techniques on data from 554 employees in public and business sector organizations, we obtained results consistent with our hypotheses. Work engagement and employees’ outcomes beyond work had positive and significant relationships. Moreover, the relationship between work engagement and community involvement was stronger in public sector employees than in business sector employees. The implications for organizational theory, research, and practice are discussed as possible leverage points for creating conditions that promote engagement at work and beyond.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)21-34
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Leadership and Organizational Studies
Volume27
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2020

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Authors 2016.

Keywords

  • employee attitudes
  • work motivation
  • work–family relationships

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Business and International Management
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Strategy and Management
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
  • Management Science and Operations Research

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