The dual impact of job variety on employee happiness and stress: the mediating role of employee engagement and burnout
Journal of Management Development
ISSN: 0262-1711
Article publication date: 6 October 2023
Issue publication date: 26 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The objectives of this study are twofold: firstly, to examine the effect of job variety on employee engagement and job burnout, and the effect of employee engagement and job burnout on employee happiness and job stress, respectively. Secondly, it examines the mediating role of employee engagement between job variety and employee happiness, as well as the mediating role of job burnout between job variety and job stress.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from front-line nurses working in the health sector in Pakistan's major cities. A total of 169 samples were collected using online and face-to-face data collection approaches. The theoretical model was tested using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4.0.
Findings
The findings of this study highlight that job variety has a positive impact on employee engagement, which in turn leads to employee happiness among professional frontline nurses. Additionally, job variety as a demand increases employee burnout, which subsequently increases frontline nurses' job stress. The results also indicate that employee engagement mediates the relationship between job variety and employee happiness, while burnout mediates the relationship between job variety and job stress.
Originality/value
To date, there has been little research investigating the dual impact of job variety, leaving a significant gap in the existing literature. This study aims to address this gap and provide implications for both academics and HR managers by challenging the misconception that job variety is always a positive job resource.
Keywords
Citation
Hafeez, S., Memon, M.A., Mirza, M.Z., Raziq, M.M., Sarwar, N. and Ting, H. (2024), "The dual impact of job variety on employee happiness and stress: the mediating role of employee engagement and burnout", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 43 No. 2, pp. 170-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2023-0084
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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