Worker engagement: Relying on the organizational values and social meaningfulness of work

The pressure on firms to be socially responsible is continuously increasing, yet social initiatives are not without controversy. Based on the literature on people engagement and social meaningfulness, our research aims to verify the role of organizational social values and actions as drivers of workforce engagement. The research project is based on a survey of 268 workers of 22 Italian social enterprises. Using structural equation modelling, our results provide empirical evidence on the antecedents of engagement, distinguishing between job and organization engagement. They confirm the relevance of the social meaningfulness of work and adherence to the social values of the organization as pertinent and appropriate drivers of engagement. The empirical evidence contributes to a better understanding of the role of social significance in work relationships, considering different types of workers and different and independent sources of engagement. In addition, relevant managerial implications are derived in relation to the design of HRM practices.