Evaluating the two-item measure of engagement at work for Japan Self-Defense Forces: A cross-sectional study

Aim

Work engagement is critical in both occupational and mental health contexts. However, no studies have compared the usefulness of the nine-, three-, and two-item measures from the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Therefore, this study aimed to examine the internal consistency and convergent validity of the two-item measure and compare its usefulness with the nine-item and three-item versions for assessing engagement at work among Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) personnel.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 229,383 participants who underwent an annual mental health check between October 19 and December 17, 2021. To test the internal consistency of the scales, Cronbach's alpha was used. To test the convergent validity, Pearson's correlation coefficients were examined for each item corresponding to job resources, job satisfaction, stress reactions, and job demands assessed by the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire.

Results

Most participants were men (89.8%). Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the nine-, three-, and two-item scales were 0.95, 0.85, and 0.80, respectively. All three versions showed significant and positive correlations with each of the items corresponding to job resources and job satisfaction. The correlation coefficients of the two-item scale were not inferior to those of the nine-item and three-item scales for job resources and job satisfaction items.

Conclusion

Our results showed the internal consistency and convergent validity for the two-item measure of engagement at work among JSDF personnel. The two-item measure may be useful for briefly and efficiently assessing the actual state of workers' engagement at work.

How time pressure is associated with both work engagement and emotional exhaustion: The moderating effects of resilient capabilities at work

Resilience in the organizational context is a fruitful concept for understanding employees’ success in dealing with workplace adversity. Through a diary study, we have examined the interaction effects of time pressure and different work-related capabilities of resilience (i.e. emotional coping, comprehensive planning, positive reframing, and focused action) on emotional exhaustion and work engagement of employees. A sample of 79 employees (54.4% male) responded to two daily surveys (after work and before bedtime) for a period of five consecutive workdays. Results show that time pressure had a positive association with emotional exhaustion. Further, time pressure showed a positive association with work engagement, but only when considering additional personal resources. Positive reframing was positively related to work engagement on the day-level but did not moderate the link between time pressure and the outcomes. Emotional coping as well as focused action decreased sensitivity to time pressure. The results underpin the impact of different work-related capabilities of resilience and provide novel theoretical and practical implications.