QUALITY OF WORK LIFE AND NURSES WORK ENGAGEMENT: PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT AS MODERATOR

Abstract

Work engagement is a key determinant in enhancing organizational performance and sustainability, particularly in the healthcare sector, which is characterized by high job demands. However, the human resource management literature still shows limitations in explaining the interaction between job resources and personal resources in shaping work engagement. Grounded in Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Theory, this study aims to analyze the effect of quality of work life (QWL) on work engagement and to examine the moderating role of psychological empowerment (PE) among nurses. This study employs a quantitative approach using Structural Equation Modeling based on Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with 197 respondents. The results indicate that QWL has a positive and significant effect on work engagement (β = 0.528; p < 0.001), and PE also has a positive and significant effect (β = 0.400; p < 0.001). Furthermore, PE is found to significantly moderate the relationship between QWL and work engagement (β = 0.179; p = 0.001), indicating a strengthening effect between job resources and personal resources. The model demonstrates moderate to strong explanatory power (R² = 0.552) and good predictive relevance (Q²predict = 0.525). This study provides a theoretical contribution by extending JD-R Theory through empirical evidence of the interaction mechanism between QWL and PE in enhancing work engagement. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of HR strategies that integrate improvements in quality of work life and psychological empowerment to optimize healthcare workers’ engagement.