The job resources-engagement relationship: the role of location

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the moderating role of employee office location in the relationship between support-related job resources (i.e. organizational support for development, supervisor support) and work engagement among public sector employees.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire was completed by 2,206 digital services branch of public service employees in Canada. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test office location as a moderator of job resources and work engagement.

Findings

The results indicate that office location moderates the relationship between organizational support for development and work engagement, such that this relationship is stronger for head office employees. Conversely, results show office location moderates the relationship between supervisor support and work engagement, such that this relationship is stronger for regional office employees.

Research limitations/implications

The questionnaire was self-report in nature and from a single department. Future research should consider multiple sources of reporting and additional departments.

Practical implications

The current study suggests that to increase work engagement, public sector organizations need to offer head office employees more organizational support for development and regional employees more supervisor support.

Originality/value

The literature on public sector work engagement tends to study job resources as having universal effects on work engagement regardless of employees' place of work. This study suggests that certain resources matter more depending on office location.

Citation

Halinski, M. and Harrison, J.A. (2020), "The job resources-engagement relationship: the role of location", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 33 No. 6/7, pp. 681-695. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-12-2019-0303