Open AccessToo Stressed To Be Engaged? The Role of Basic Needs Satisfaction in Understanding Work Stress and Public Sector Engagement
Author(s) -
Breaugh Jessica
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
public personnel management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.78
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1945-7421
pISSN - 0091-0260
DOI - 10.1177/0091026020912516
Subject(s) - work engagement , moderation , psychology , social psychology , interpersonal communication , public engagement , employee engagement , work stress , coping (psychology) , public sector , stress (linguistics) , work (physics) , public relations , political science , clinical psychology , philosophy , mechanical engineering , linguistics , engineering , law
This article explores employee engagement by linking stress, motivation, and employee engagement theory and testing this across 30 countries and eight public sector occupations. First, it is argued that work stress will be negatively related to engagement. Self-determination theory is then used as a basis for exploring the positive link between basic needs satisfaction (BNS) and engagement. It argued that BNS will moderate the relationship between stress and engagement due to the impact that BNS has on coping strategies. These claims are tested using the 2015 wave of the European Working Conditions Survey. Results show stress and engagement are negatively related, whereas BNS and engagement are positively related. Moderation analyses revealed that the detrimental relationship between stress and engagement is lessened for individuals who have strong interpersonal relations at work. This suggests that social relationships play an important role in managing stressful work environments.
Accelerating Research
Robert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom
Address
John Eccles HouseRobert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom