To Be Involved or Not to Be Involved: Testing Prison Staff Job Involvement Using the Job Demands–Job Resources Model

Abstract

In this study, data were used from 322 employees at a large medium- and maximum-security prison in the Southern United States to examine the influence of job demands (dangerousness of the job, role overload, role ambiguity) and job resources (employee input into decision-making, instrumental communication, job variety) on employee job involvement. We also controlled for demographic characteristics (gender, age, position, tenure, and educational attainment). Drawing on the job demands–job resources model, four separate equations were estimated to assess the influence of job demands and job resources both separately and jointly. Overall, job resources (specifically, employee input into decision-making and job variety) have a stronger influence on job involvement than do job demands. The findings indicate that to boost employee job involvement in correctional settings, employers must implement policies and practices that facilitate the sharing of job resources in the work environment. Implications for policy and future research are also discussed.