Work Engagement and Its Relationship with Personal Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study of Human Service Workers

Studies on worker well-being within the human services sector have largely looked at factors that put the well-being of workers at risk but few studies have focused on workplace experiences that promote worker well-being. This study examines the relationship between work engagement and life satisfaction, and overall health among social workers and human service workers. Data for this study were drawn from a convenience sample of 133 social workers and human service workers using a self-administered workplace survey. Two hierarchical linear multiple regression models were conducted to assess the relationship between work engagement and affective (i.e., life satisfaction) and physical well-being (i.e., health). Findings suggest that being engaged with work is associated with greater levels of life satisfaction and health. A discussion on the impact of study findings on practice and future research is presented.