Employee engagement: The effects of work-home/home-work interaction and psychological conditions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between work-home and home-work interference, psychological conditions and employee engagement. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The participants were 292 employees of a uranium mine in Namibia residing in towns distant from their workplace. The following measuring instruments were used: Survey Work-Home Interaction – Nijmegen, Psychological Conditions Scale and Employee Engagement Questionnaire. Negative work-home interaction (work-home/home-work spillover) was negatively related to psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability, and employee engagement. Positive work-life interaction (work-home/home-work interaction) was positively related to psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability, and employee engagement. The study builds on the work-life interaction literature by showing that negative and positive interactions indirectly affect employee engagement via psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability.