Quality of Work Life (QWL) and its Influence on Work Engagement among Academic Staff at Nursing Faculties: A comparative Study

Abstract

Background: Quality of Work Life (QWL) directly influences job satisfaction, productivity, and work engagement. It is essential for successful educational institutions. Aim of the study: To compare the QWL and work engagement among academic staff at two nursing faculties in a regional (A) and a capital-city (B) university. Subjects and Methods: This comparative cross-sectional research design was used to compare academic staff"s QWL and work engagement in nursing faculties. It included 82 academic staff from each one. A self-administered questionnaire with the Quality of Work Life Scale and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was used to collect data. Fieldwork lasted from January to March 2021. Results: Participants from regional universities had more experience years (p=0.004), more singles (p=0.03), and rural residents (p<0.001). Regional university staff had lower QWL (12.2%) than capital-city university (52.4%), p<0.001, but had higher UWES scores (p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, working in a capitalcity university was a positive predictor of QWL, while it was a negative predictor of engagement score. Conclusion and Recommendations: There are significant differences in QWL and work engagement of academic staff between faculties of nursing in the capital city and regional universities. The work engagement is influenced by the QWL and staff income and training. Improving academic staff QWL with better work design would help them achieve their own and institutional goals with a better balance of their work/home life. The effectiveness of improving work design and context on academic staff work engagement, professional performance, and work happiness needs to be studied.