How Challenge Demands Have Offsetting Effects on Job Performance: Through the Positive and Negative Emotions

By combining the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2001) and the transactional theory of stress (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984), this study examines how challenge demands (i.e., task complexity and time pressure) have dual effects on employees’ job performance through the mediating effects of positive and negative emotions. We collected data from 414 employees from three firms located in China, including two hi-tech firms and one financial firm. The results indicated that challenge demands (i.e., task complexity and time pressure) have an overall positive effect on employees’ job performance (i.e., task performance and contextual performance) by offsetting positive indirect effects with negative indirect effects. The theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Work-Related Factors Associated With Burnout Among Peruvian Nurses

Introduction:

Commonly, burnout in nurses has influenced their performance. The contribution of this study allows to broaden the knowledge of the performance-burnout relationship and identifies the work performance in nurses as a precursor of burnout.

Objective:

The study aimed to examine the factors of work performance of nursing staff that influence burnout.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional design was used and a total of 340 nurses from the department of Puno in Peru participated. Demographic, job performance, and burnout data were collected.

Results:

Job performance factors, such as counterproductive behavior, positively influenced burnout, while task and context performance negatively influenced burnout. These variables explained 28.54% of the variance of burnout among nurses.

Conclusion:

Job performance factors have a significant impact on burnout. To reduce burnout, workforce resources that motivate, engage, and monitor nurse performance must be identified individually or organizationally. There is a need to develop training that promotes the improvement of emotional skills for better performance and the reduction of professional burnout.

Burnout, Professional Self-Efficacy, and Life Satisfaction as Predictors of Job Performance in Health Care Workers: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement

Background:

It is essential to identify the factors that influence the work performance of health professionals working in health care facilities, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, since these factors have an impact on the quality of medical care provided to the population.

Objective:

This study aimed to analyze the mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between job burnout, professional self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and job performance in Peruvian health care workers.

Methods:

Cross-sectional explanatory study, with the voluntary participation of 508 health professionals (physicians and nurses) of both sexes (70.7% women, 29.3% men), and from different health facilities in the city of Lima. All participants were administered the Single Burnout Item questionnaire, the Professional Self-Efficacy Scale (AU-10), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWL), the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis.

Results:

In the SEM analysis, it was found that for the mediation model the incremental goodness-of-fit indices were significant (χ² = 2292.313, gl = 659, P < .001, χ²/gl = 2.788). Career self-efficacy (β = .557, P < .001) and life satisfaction (β = .289, P < .001) were positive predictors of work engagement. While burnout was a negative predictor (β = .878, P < .001). The consistent mediation of work engagement of professional self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and burnout had a positive predictor effect on job performance (β = .878, P < .001).

Conclusion:

Research provides evidence that professional self-efficacy, life satisfaction, and burnout could influence job performance through work engagement.

Impacts of customer incivility and abusive supervision on employee performance: a comparative study of the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods

The purpose of our study was to assess the effects of customer incivility and abusive supervision on employee performance during the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods. Our two-wave panel data collected from South Korean frontline service employees revealed that the indirect effect of customer incivility on job performance through emotional exhaustion became more pronounced after the onset of the pandemic. Furthermore, during the pandemic, customer incivility exerted a greater indirect effect on job performance through emotional exhaustion than abusive supervision. These findings offer insights for effectively managing frontline service employees’ stress in times of crisis, including pandemics.

The association between digitalization and mental health: The mediating role of wellbeing at work

The study aims to measure the mediating relationship of wellbeing at work between digitalization (IT infrastructure, IT business spanning, and IT proactive stance) and their effect on mental health. The study uses primary data collection techniques to gather data and used purposive sampling to analyze the data. The sample size of the study is 349 respondents. The research uses Smart PLS software to measure the relationship through bootstrapping and algorithms. The study finds a significant positive mediating role of wellbeing between digitalization (IT infrastructure, IT business spanning, and IT proactive stance) and their effect on mental health. The study outcomes are helpful for managers and policymakers.

The impact of COVID-19 on oncology professionals-one year on: lessons learned from the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey series

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the well-being and job performance of oncology professionals globally. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force collaboration set out to investigate and monitor well-being since COVID-19 in relation to work, lifestyle and support factors in oncology professionals 1 year on since the start of the pandemic.

METHODS

An online, anonymous survey was conducted in February/March 2021 (Survey III). Key outcome variables included risk of poor well-being or distress (expanded Well-Being Index), feeling burnout (single item from expanded Well-Being Index), and job performance since COVID-19. Longitudinal analysis of responses to the series of three surveys since COVID-19 was carried out, and responses to job demands and resources questions were interrogated. SPSS V.26.0/V.27.0 and GraphPad Prism V9.0 were used for statistical analyses.

RESULTS

Responses from 1269 participants from 104 countries were analysed in Survey III: 55% (n = 699/1269) female, 54% (n = 686/1269) >40 years, and 69% (n = 852/1230) of white ethnicity. There continues to be an increased risk of poor well-being or distress (n = 464/1169, 40%) and feeling burnout (n = 660/1169, 57%) compared with Survey I (25% and 38% respectively, P < 0.0001), despite improved job performance. Compared with the initial period of the pandemic, more participants report feeling overwhelmed with workload (45% versus 29%, P < 0.0001). There remain concerns about the negative impact of the pandemic on career development/training (43%), job security (37%). and international fellowship opportunities (76%). Alarmingly, 25% (n = 266/1086) are considering changing their future career with 38% (n = 100/266) contemplating leaving the profession.

CONCLUSION

Oncology professionals continue to face increased job demands. There is now significant concern regarding potential attrition in the oncology workforce. National and international stakeholders must act immediately and work closely with oncology professionals to draw up future-proof recovery plans.

Supporting the Sharing of Mental Health Challenges in the Workplace: Findings from Comparative Case Study Research at Two Mental Health Services

Personal experience with mental health (MH) challenges has been characterized as a concealable stigma. Identity management literature suggests actively concealing a stigma may negatively impact wellbeing. Reviews of workplace identity management literature have linked safety in revealing a stigma to individual performance, well-being, engagement and teamwork. However, no research to date has articulated the factors that make sharing MH challenges possible. This study employed a comparative case study design to explore the sharing of MH challenges in two Australian MH services. We conducted qualitative analyses of interviews with staff in direct service delivery and supervisory roles, to determine factors supporting safety to share. Workplace factors supporting safety to share MH challenges included: planned and unplanned "check-ins;" mutual sharing and support from colleagues and supervisors; opportunities for individual and team reflection; responses to and management of personal leave and requests for accommodation; and messaging and action from senior organizational leaders supporting the value of workforce diversity. Research involving staff with experience of MH challenges provides valuable insights into how we can better support MH staff across the workforce.

Unlocking the Contradictory Outcomes of Presenteeism Through a Temporal Model: Effort Exertion as a Mediator

The effects of presenteeism, that is, working while ill or exhausted, are unclear, as previous research has yielded contradictory results. The aim of this study was thus two-fold: clarify the differential effects of short versus long-term presenteeism and corroborate the mediating effect of effort exertion on the relationship between presenteeism and work-related outcomes. We adopt a three-wave panel design and measure all the variables at three different points (initially, after one week and after one year) to understand the effects of presenteeism over time. Our sample consists of 361 Chinese employees working in diverse industries in Taiwan. We analyze the panel data using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping. Our results reveal that presenteeism is positively associated with increased effort, work engagement, and job performance after one week. By contrast, presenteeism is negatively associated with job performance and work engagement though positively associated with emotional exhaustion after one-year. Our research contributes to clarify paradoxical results regarding presenteeism's consequences, as well as corroborating that effort exertion mediates the relationship between presenteeism and work outcomes. We also identify practical implications for organizations managing employees working remotely, a more common reality with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ensuing lockdowns and digitalization which has started to become the norm for a significant proportion of working sectors. Finally, we suggest recommendations for future research on presenteeism.

Work along Both Lines: The Positive Impact of Work-Based Social Media Use on Job Performance

Social media has rapidly become an important tool in organizations and has a significant impact on employees’ work and organizational operations. By applying social media to their daily work, employees gain access to important information resources that can help them get things done. Using the conservation of resources theory, this study examines the impact of work resources generated by employees’ work-based social media use on work status, as well as job performance. Data were collected from the employees of Internet companies in Henan Province and Shanghai, China. We distributed 519 pairs of questionnaires, and 369 pairs of valid paired questionnaires were returned. To estimate the proposed relationships in the theoretical framework, we used SPSS and MPLUS. The results show that work-based social media use can increase employees’ work engagement, which in turn increases task performance, job dedication and interpersonal facilitation. It also reduces the negative effects of work interruptions on task performance and job dedication. Therefore, we conclude the positive effects of work-based social media use on job performance can be achieved by increasing work engagement and by reducing work interruptions.

Occupational Depression, Cognitive Performance, and Task Appreciation: A Study Based on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices

The Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI) was recently developed to assess depressive symptoms that individuals specifically attribute to their work. Research on the criterion validity of the instrument is still in its infancy. In this study, we examined whether the ODI predicted performance on, and appreciation of, a cognitively challenging test. In light of the link established between clinical depression and neuropsychological impairment, and considering that individuals with depressive symptoms are more likely to feel helpless under challenging circumstances, we hypothesized that occupational depression would be associated with poorer cognitive performance and a darkened appreciation of the task undertaken. We relied on a sample of 1,359 educational staff members. We used an abridged version of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPMs) as a cognitively challenging task and measure of cognitive performance. RAPMs assess so-called eductive ability (meaning-making and problem-solving abilities) through items of various degrees of difficulty. Transient mood was assessed with a three-item measure before RAPMs were administered. Task appreciation was assessed with a single-item measure after the completion of RAPMs. We found occupational depression to be negatively linked to cognitive performance. A two-step cluster analysis, in which ODI and RAPMs scores were used as classifiers, revealed two profiles of respondents. The first profile was characterized by relatively low levels of depressive symptoms and high levels of cognitive performance; the second profile, by relatively high levels of depressive symptoms and low levels of cognitive performance. The two profiles differed strongly from one another, as indexed by Cohen's ds of 2.492 regarding depressive symptoms and 1.263 regarding cognitive performance. As anticipated, occupational depression predicted a darkened appreciation of the test. The association remained statistically significant, and largely unchanged, controlling for pretest mood and test performance. The highest levels of depressive symptoms were observed among individuals evaluating the task as "frustrating" and "discouraging." Our study suggests that occupational depression predicts poorer cognitive performance and a negativized experience of cognitive challenge. Such features may be part of a self-sustaining loop fostering the maintenance of depressive symptoms. The extent to which the ODI predicts performance in the work context needs to be investigated.

The Power of Family Support: The Long-Term Effect of Pre-COVID-19 Family Support on Mid-COVID-19 Work Outcomes

While COVID-19 has triggered a vast amount of research on the effect of the pandemic on employee outcomes, little information is known about how the family-to-work interface affects long-term work outcomes during the pandemic. Drawing on the work–home resources model, this study proposes that family support provided before the onset of COVID-19 has a positive indirect effect on job performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) after the onset, by decreasing emotional exhaustion. To test this proposition, we collected two-wave data from 211 South Korean employees over a 17-month period. As predicted, after controlling for employees’ pre-COVID-19 emotional exhaustion, job performance, and OCB, pre-COVID-19 family support was found to exert a significant indirect effect on mid-COVID-19 job performance (b = 0.024, 95% CI = [0.003, 0.071], ab_cs = 0.027) and OCB (b = 0.031, 95% CI = [0.001, 0.084], ab_cs = 0.033), through mid-COVID-19 emotional exhaustion. This finding suggests that family support has a positive longitudinal effect on work outcomes for employees during the pandemic.

The Effect of Organizational Justice on Job Performance and the Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction: A Study on Nurses

This study aims identifying the effects of nurses' perceptions of organizational justice on their performance and to test the mediating role of job satisfaction. This is a cross-sectional study. This study conducted with 374 nurses working hospitals. The research model was tested using structural equation modeling and the bootstrap technique. Organizational justice has been found to have a significant impact on job performance and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction had a partial mediating role. The results of this study could guide the more effective and efficient use of human resources in nursing management and contribute to the literature of health and nursing management.

Developing the Healthy and Competitive Organization in the Sports Environment: Focused on the Relationships between Organizational Justice, Empowerment and Job Performance

As improving the job performance of employees is becoming increasingly significant for organizational growth, a major challenge for organizational development managers is to understand and explore the important antecedents of job performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationships between organizational justice, empowerment, and job performance in the South Korean professional sports industry. Recently, many professional sports teams in South Korea have attempted to improve employees' job performance for the future survival of the teams. The research participants were 371 employees affiliated with 40 male professional sports teams. The validity and reliability of the measures involved were investigated by carrying out confirmatory factor, Cronbach's alpha, and correlation analyses. A structural equation-modeling test with a maximum likelihood estimation was performed to evaluate the structural relationships between distributive justice, procedural justice, interactional justice, empowerment and job performance, and the mediating effects of empowerment. The findings revealed the positive impacts of (a) distributive justice on empowerment, (b) procedural justice on empowerment, (c) interactional justice on empowerment, (d) procedural justice on job performance, and (e) interactional justice on job performance. Furthermore, empowerment fully mediated the relationship between interactional justice and job performance. These findings highlight the importance of increasing organizational justice and empowering employees when managing professional sports organizations.

Impacts of Personality on Job Performance Through COVID-19 Fear and Intention to Quit

Recent studies have examined the association between personality and job performance; however, this relationship remains to be elucidated within the context of COVID-19 fear and intention to quit. Therefore, we aimed to develop a structural equation model (SEM) by exploring the effects of personality on job performance through COVID-19 fear and intention to quit. Accordingly, 447 employees participated in the study and completed the Job Performance Scale, the Scale of Intention to Quit, the COVID-19 Fear scale, and the Big Five Inventory. It was revealed that extroversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism predicted job performance via COVID-19 fear, as well as intention to quit.

The Role of General and Specific Cognitive Abilities in Predicting Performance of Three Occupations: Evidence from Bifactor Models

Cognitive abilities are related to job performance. However, there is less agreement about the relative contribution of general versus specific cognitive abilities to job performance. Similarly, it is not clear how cognitive abilities operate in the context of complex occupations. This study assessed the role of cognitive abilities on the performance of three aviation-related jobs: flying, navigation, and air battle management (ABM). Correlated-factor and bifactor models were used to draw a conclusion about the predictive relations between cognitive abilities and job performance. Overall, the importance of particular cognitive abilities tends to vary across the three occupations, and each occupation has different sets of essential abilities. Importantly, the interplay of general versus specific abilities is different across occupations, and some specific abilities also show substantial predictive power.

Does the Employability Paradox Exist or Not? An Inverted U-Shaped Model

This paper’s purpose is to test the employability paradox by adopting a combined linear and non-linear approach based on the conservation of resource (COR) theory and the prospect theory and further to discuss it in two groups of employees with different seniority following the career timetable perspective. A total of 623 pairs of matched employee and manager surveys was collected from 27 Chinese enterprises in two waves. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The results show no paradox that perceived employability promotes both an employee’s turnover intention and performance. Specifically, perceived employability has a significant inverted U-shaped effect on turnover intention but no direct influence on job performance. Seniority is a moderator, showing the curvilinear relationship only exhibits for employees with shorter work seniority (≤3 years), and a positive linear relationship between perceived employability and job performance only exists for employees with longer seniority (>3 years). This study emphasizes the value of employability for employers and proposes who is more suitable and what timetable should be followed for employability enhancement in practice. In addition, the study provides an enlightening finding of the inverted U-shaped relationship between perceived employability and turnover intention, applies the COR theory and the prospect theory to explain the non-linear relationship, validates the effect of too much of a good thing (TMGT), and negates the paradox from the perspective of the perceived general employability and career timetable.

Productivity, Satisfaction, Work Environment and Health after Relocation to an Activity-Based Flex Office-The Active Office Design Study

Implementation of activity-based flex offices (AFOs) are becoming increasingly common. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an AFO on perceived productivity, satisfaction, work environment and health. Questionnaire data from the longitudinal, quasi-experimental Active Office Design Study was used. The study evaluates a public organization relocating staff to either an AFO or to cell offices. Measures from baseline, 6 and 18 months after relocation, were analyzed. Employees in the AFO experienced a decreased productivity and satisfaction with the office design. Lack of privacy as well as increased noise disturbance, less satisfaction with sit comfort and work posture were reported. Employees in the AFO with work tasks requiring a high degree of concentration experienced lower productivity while those with a high proportion of teamwork rated productivity to be continually high. No significant group differences were found between the two office types in general health, cognitive stress, salutogenic health indicators or pain in the neck, shoulder or back. The study highlights the importance of taking work characteristics into account in the planning and implementation process of an AFO. Flexible and interactive tasks seem more appropriate in an AFO, whereas individual tasks demanding concentration seem less fit.

The concerns of oncology professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from the ESMO Resilience Task Force survey II

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes to professional and personal lives of oncology professionals globally. The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force collaboration aimed to provide contemporaneous reports on the impact of COVID-19 on the lived experiences and well-being in oncology.

Methods

This online anonymous survey (July-August 2020) is the second of a series of global surveys launched during the course of the pandemic. Longitudinal key outcome measures including well-being/distress (expanded Well-being Index—9 items), burnout (1 item from expanded Well-being Index), and job performance since COVID-19 were tracked.

Results

A total of 942 participants from 99 countries were included for final analysis: 58% (n = 544) from Europe, 52% (n = 485) female, 43% (n = 409) ≤40 years old, and 36% (n = 343) of non-white ethnicity. In July/August 2020, 60% (n = 525) continued to report a change in professional duties compared with the pre-COVID-19 era. The proportion of participants at risk of poor well-being (33%, n = 310) and who reported feeling burnout (49%, n = 460) had increased significantly compared with April/May 2020 (25% and 38%, respectively; P < 0.001), despite improved job performance since COVID-19 (34% versus 51%; P < 0.001). Of those who had been tested for COVID-19, 8% (n = 39/484) tested positive; 18% (n = 7/39) felt they had not been given adequate time to recover before return to work. Since the pandemic, 39% (n = 353/908) had expressed concerns that COVID-19 would have a negative impact on their career development or training and 40% (n = 366/917) felt that their job security had been compromised. More than two-thirds (n = 608/879) revealed that COVID-19 has changed their outlook on their work-personal life balance.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the well-being of oncology professionals globally, with significantly more in distress and feeling burnout compared with the first wave. Collective efforts from both national and international communities addressing support and coping strategies will be crucial as we recover from the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, an action plan should also be devised to tackle concerns raised regarding the negative impact of COVID-19 on career development, training, and job security.

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Compared with survey I, more oncology professionals were at risk of poor well-being (33% versus 25%) and burnout (49% versus 38%).

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Job performance since COVID-19 (JP-CV) has improved from 34% to 51%.

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About 1 in 5 who tested positive for COVID-19 felt they had not been given adequate time to recover before return to work.

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Some 39% expressed concerns that COVID-19 would have a negative impact on their career development or training.

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More than two-thirds revealed that COVID-19 had changed their outlook on work-personal life balance.

Effects of nurses' individual, professional and work environment characteristics on job performance

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the effects of nurses' individual, professional and work environment characteristics on their job performance levels.

BACKGROUND

Nurses' job performance is important in the effective and efficient provision of health care.

DESIGN

A descriptive, cross-sectional study. The STROBE guidelines were used in this study.

METHODS

The sample of this descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional study comprised 370 nurses working at one private and two university hospitals in Turkey. A demographic information form, the Practice Work Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) and the Nursing Job Performance Scale (JPS) were used to collect the data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation and multiple linear (stepwise) regression.

RESULTS

There was a significant and positive correlation between the scores on the PES-NWI and the JPS (r: 0.65, p < .05). Regression analysis showed that nurses' job performance was affected by five variables (R² : 59%, p < .05, Durbin-Watson: 2.06).

CONCLUSION

The results of the study show that three sub-dimensions of the PES-NWI (nursing foundations for quality of care; staffing and resource adequacy; nurse manager abilities, leadership and support for nurses), colleague solidarity and education level were important factors affecting job performance.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The job performance of nurses is a priority issue in delivering quality healthcare services. Further efforts need to be pursued to nurse managers ensure a positive work environment to increase their nurses' job performance.

Criterion Validity of Cognitive Reflection for Predicting Job Performance and Training Proficiency: A Meta-Analysis

This article presents a meta-analysis of the validity of cognitive reflection (CR) for predicting job performance and training proficiency. It also examines the incremental validity of CR over cognitive intelligence (CI) for predicting these two occupational criteria. CR proved to be an excellent predictor of job performance and training proficiency, and the magnitude of the true validity was very similar across the two criteria. Results also showed that the type of CR is not a moderator of CR validity. We also found that CR showed incremental variance over CI for the explanation of job performance, although the magnitude of the contribution is small. However, CR shows practically no incremental validity over CI validity in the explanation of training proficiency. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for the research and practice of personnel selection.

On the Reciprocal Relationship between Quantitative and Qualitative Job Insecurity and Outcomes. Testing a Cross-Lagged Longitudinal Mediation Model

Prior cross-sectional research indicates that the negative effects of quantitative job insecurity (i.e., threat to job loss) on employees’ wellbeing are fully mediated by qualitative job insecurity (i.e., threat to job characteristics). In the current longitudinal study, we replicated and further extended this view to include a direct effect of qualitative job insecurity on quantitative job insecurity. We explored these reciprocal relations in the context of their concurrent effects on work related outcomes by means of dual-mediation modelling. We identified a wide range of the outcomes, classified as: job strains (i.e., exhaustion, emotional and cognitive impairment), psychological coping reactions (i.e., job satisfaction, work engagement, turnover intention), and behavioral coping reactions (i.e., in-role and extra role performance, counterproductive behavior). We employed a three-wave panel design and surveyed 2003 Flemish employees. The results showed that the dual-mediation model had the best fit to the data. However, whereas qualitative job insecurity predicted an increase in quantitative job insecurity and the outcome variables six months later, quantitative job insecurity did not affect qualitative job insecurity or the outcomes over time. The study demonstrates the importance of qualitative job insecurity not only as a severe work stressor but also as an antecedent of quantitative job insecurity. Herewith, we stress the need for further research on the causal relations between both dimensions of job insecurity.

Workers' Stress During the First Lockdown: Consequences on Job Performance Analyzed With a Mediation Model

OBJECTIVE

This study sheds light on the pathways leading to an increase in workers stress levels and the resulting effects on job performance during a pandemic.

METHODS

Path analyses were conducted on a sample of 459 Canadian workers using MPlus software. These analyses allowed us to determine whether the association between potential stressors during lockdown and job performance was mediated by workers' stress.

RESULTS

The results revealed four significant indirect associations. Work-life balance dissatisfaction, gender (women), and marital tensions were indirectly associated with lower job performance because of their positive associations with stress. Teleworking was associated with higher job performance because of its negative association with stress.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that specific stressors are worth targeting with interventions to ensure job performance.

Relationship Between Proactive Personality and Job Performance of Chinese Nurses: The Mediating Role of Competency and Work Engagement

Background: As one of the main participants in health care, nurses are esteemed an important driving force for the vigorous health care development. Studies report that nurses' proactive personality has positive effects on their job performance; however, this relationship acquires further understanding. Objective: A cross-sectional study was performed to explore the relationship between nurses' proactive personality and job performance; the mediating role of nurses' competency and work engagement in this relationship was also evaluated. Methods: The study was performed in a large third-degree general hospital in October 2019, Xi'an, PR, China. A sample of 246 nurses participated in this cross-sectional study. Proactive personality was assessed with the Proactive Personality Questionnaire (PPS), job performance was assessed by Heilman three-item measurements, nurse competence was estimated with Nurse Competency Scale (NCS), and work engagement was assessed with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). The structural equation model was used to test the main hypotheses. Results: Structural equation model analysis revealed that work engagement partially mediated the association between proactive personality and job performance. The serial two-mediator model which was used to explore the association between proactive personality and job performance through competency and work engagement, in sequence, was demonstrated. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that work engagement partially mediated the association between nurses' proactive personality and their job performance. The serial two-mediator model demonstrated that proactive personality was associated with job performance via competency and work engagement. This study also revealed the critical role of nursing managers in understanding the nurses' proactive personality, which would facilitate them to enhance the latter's competency and promote their work engagement. All these will in turn constantly improve the overall quality of nursing and advance professional development of nursing and benefits for patients.