Does job autonomy affect job engagement? Psychological meaningfulness as a mediator

We investigated the effect of job autonomy on engagement at work, focusing on the mediating role of psychological meaningfulness. To test our hypotheses, we analyzed responses to a survey completed by 486 employees of private organizations in the US. The results show that job autonomy had a positive relationship with engagement, and with psychological meaningfulness. The relationship between job autonomy and work engagement was moderated by learning culture. Our results can help corporate managers understand employees’ engagement at work, and contribute to an understanding of how job elements and work context promote engagement through perceived psychological meaningfulness.