Work Engagement as a Critical Mediator in the Relationship Between Workload, Organizational Support, Career Adaptability, Job Crafting, and Nurses' Well-Being

Abstract

Private healthcare nurses are confronted continuously with issues of workload overload, lack of organizational support, and career change aspirations. This study addresses the impact of workload, organizational support, career adaptability, and job creation on the well-being of nurses with work engagement as a mediator. Participants were n = 166 private hospital nurses who completed a standardized questionnaire via a quantitative cross-sectional design. Statistical tests using SPSS and SEM were run, such as descriptive statistics, reliability analysis (Cronbach's α > 0.78 for all dimensions), correlation, multiple regression, and mediation. The structural model accounted for high levels of well-being (R² = 0.830) but relatively lower work engagement (R² = 0.083). The results showed that workload negatively impacted work engagement (β = –0.192, p < 0.001) and well-being (β = –0.175, p < 0.001). Organizational support (β = 0.494, p < 0.001) and career adaptability (β = 0.550, p < 0.001) significantly positively impacted well-being, mediated by work engagement (β = 0.911, p < 0.001). Job crafting had no significant direct or indirect impact (p > 0.05). Mediation study established that work engagement softened the negative effects of workload and amplified the positive effects of organizational support and career adaptability on well-being. The research highlights that creating a supportive work environment culture, offering development opportunities for career progression, adopting effective workload management methods are some of the ways that can A lot boost work engagement and at the same time, help keep the nurses in the white sector as their employer. In fact, the current findings could be a steering vehicle for the health care decision-makers in formulating the workforce policies based on evidence which ultimately target the welfare of the employees and mainly the retention of nurses.