Work engagement and financial returns: A diary study on the role of job and personal resources

Abstract

This study investigates how daily fluctuations in job resources (autonomy, coaching, and team climate) are related to employees' levels of personal resources (self-efficacy, self-esteem, and optimism), work engagement, and financial returns. Forty-two employees working in three branches of a fast-food company completed a questionnaire and a diary booklet over 5 consecutive workdays. Consistent with hypotheses, multi-level analyses revealed that day-level job resources had an effect on work engagement through day-level personal resources, after controlling for general levels of personal resources and engagement. Day-level coaching had a direct positive relationship with day-level work engagement, which, in-turn, predicted daily financial returns. Additionally, previous days' coaching had a positive, lagged effect on next days' work engagement (through next days' optimism), and on next days' financial returns.