Relationships between effort-reward imbalance and work engagement in police officers: taking a salutogenic perspective

Abstract

Work engagement is an indicator of work-related well-being. Taking a salutogenic perspective, this study aims to examine work engagement within the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model. To foster our understanding of work engagement, we analyzed relationships of the ERI model subscales effort, esteem reward, status reward and security reward as well as overcommitment with global work engagement and its subscales (vigor, dedication, absorption). Eight hundred eleven police officers participated in a cross-sectional health-monitoring survey in a German police department. Regression analyses were conducted. The ERI ratio was negatively related to measures of work engagement (β\u2009=\u2009−0.30 to −0.25). Whereas esteem (β\u2009=\u20090.23 to 0.19) and security reward (β\u2009=\u20090.20 to 0.16) positively predicted global work engagement as well as vigor, dedication and absorption, overcommitment showed a negative association with vigor (β\u2009=\u2009−0.14). The regression models explained up to 23% of the variance in work engagement or its subscales. An imbalance between effort and reward is associated with reduced work engagement in the sample of police officers. While effort is not accountable for reduced work engagement, esteem and security rewards are capable of promoting work engagement. Workplace interventions at the level of the supervisors and the department as well as public image campaigns may promote rewards in police work to foster work engagement.