THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOB ENGAGEMENT, WORK INTERFERENCE WITH PERSONAL LIFE, AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS

Abstract

Research on work-life balance has increased significantly over the last decade (Hill, Hawkins, Ferris & Weitzman, 2013). The extent of work-life balance concerns is evident from the thousands of articles, websites, and blogs that focus on work-life balance issues (Grawitch & Barber, 2010). While work-life balance is a variable that has been the focus of numerous research articles, one relationship that has received limited attention is the link between this variable and employee engagement. While there is no question that engagement has positive implications for an employee's working life, what about for the employee's personal life? If an employee is fully engaged in their work, will they have the resources left to be fully engaged at home? This study empirically examined the link between employee engagement and work interference with personal life. Results of this study indicated that the two variables did not have a significant relationship. The study did, however, add to existing literature on the significant relationship between engagement and turnover, between access to work-life balance practices and work interference with personal life, and between work interference with personal life and turnover intentions. Implications for future research are discussed.