UWES Manual; page
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Possible consequences of work engagement
. The possible consequences of work engagement pertain to
positive attitudes towards work and towards the organization, such as job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, and low turnover intention (Demerouti et al., 2001; Salanova et al., 2000; Schaufeli &
Bakker, in press; Schaufeli, Taris & Van Rhenen, 2003), but also to positive organizational behavior
such as, personal initiative and learning motivation (Sonnentag, 2003), extra-role behavior (Salanova,
Agut & Peiró, 2003), and proactive behavior (Salanova et al., 2003). Furthermore, there are some
indications that engagement is positively related to health, that is, to low levels of depression and
distress (Schaufeli, Taris & Van Rhenen, 2003) and psychosomatic complaints (Demerouti et al., 2001).
Finally, it seems that work engagement is positively related to job performance. For instance, a study
among about one-hundred Spanish hotels and restaurants showed that employees’ levels of work
engagement had a positive impact on the service climate of these hotels and restaurants, which, in its
turn, predicted employees' extra-role behavior as well as customer satisfaction (Salanova, Agut, &
Peiró, 2003). It is important to note that, in this study, work performance was measured independently
from the employees, namely by interviewing customers about their satisfaction with the service
received.
Work engagement as a mediator in the motivation process
. The previous findings about possible causes
and consequences suggest that work engagement may play a mediating role between job resources on
the one hand and positive work attitudes and work behaviors at the other hand. In a recent study,
Schaufeli and Bakker (in press) tested such a model among four samples from different types of service
organizations. Their structural equation model also included job stressors, burnout, and health
complaints. They found some evidence for the existence of two types of processes: (1) a process of
health impairment or erosion in which job stressors and lacking job resources are associated with
burnout, which, in its turn is related to health complaints and negative work attitudes; (2) a motivational
process in which available job resources are associated with work engagement, which, in its turn, is
associated with positive work attitudes. Also other studies confirmed the mediating role of work
engagement. Essentially, the results of Schaufeli and Bakker (in press) have been replicated by
Hakanen, Schaufeli and Bakker (2003) in a study among a large sample of Finnish teachers.
Furthermore, the results of the study by Salanova, Agut and Peiró (2003) corroborate the model of
Schaufeli and Bakker (in press): work engagement plays a mediating role between job resources (e.g.,
technical equipment, participation in decision making) and service climate and job performance (i.e.,
extra-role behavior and customer satisfaction) Moreover, in another study among over 500 ICT-
workers, Salanova et al. (2003) observed that work engagement mediated the relationship between
available resources (performance feedback, task variety, and job control) and proactive organizational
behavior.
Work engagement as a collective phenomenon
. Work engagement is not only an individual
phenomenon, but it also occurs in groups; that is, it seems that employees in some teams or parts of the
organization are more engaged than in other teams or parts (Salanova, Agut en Peiró, 2003; Taris,
Bakker, Schaufeli & Schreurs, 2003). Obviously, engagement is not restricted to the individual
employee, but groups of employees may differ in levels of engagement as well. Bakker and Schaufeli