Work engagement among managers and professionals in Egypt: Potential antecedents and consequences

The purpose of this paper is to examine potential antecedents and consequences of work engagement in a sample of male and female managers and professionals employed in various organizations and industries in Egypt.

Data were collected from 242 respondents, a 48 percent response rate, using anonymously completed questionnaires. Engagement was assessed by three scales developed by Schaufeli et al.; vigor, dedication, and absorption. Antecedents included personal demographic and work situation characteristics as well as measures of need for achievement and workaholic behaviors; consequences included measures of work satisfaction and psychological well‐being.

The following results are observed. First, both need for achievement and one workaholic job behavior are found to predict all three engagement measures. Second, engagement, particularly dedication, predict various work outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction, intent to quit). Third, engagement, again, particularly dedication, predicted various psychological well‐being outcomes but less strongly than these predicted work outcomes.

Questions of causality cannot be addressed since data were collected at only one‐point in time. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the effects of work life experiences on engagement.

Organizations can increase levels of work engagement by creating supportive work experiences (e.g. control, rewards, and recognition) consistent with effective human resource management (HRM) practices. But caution must be exercised before employing North American practices in the Egyptian context.

This paper contributes to the understanding of work engagement among managers and professionals and HRM more broadly in a large Muslim country.