Want engaged temporary agency workers? Think beyond the money

Using the framework of social exchange theory and social identity theory, we investigated how perceived organizational support and organizational image indirectly influence temporary agency workers’ (TAWs) work engagement through the mediators of organizational identification and self-esteem. A time-lagged design was employed (Time 1: baseline, Time 2: 6 weeks later, Time 3: 2 weeks later) and data were collected from 309 TAWs in China. Results showed that organizational identification mediated the relationships between perceived organizational support and work engagement, and between organizational image and work engagement. However, self-esteem exerted no significant influence on the focal relationships. Our findings suggest that organizational identification plays a key role in deciding the extent to which TAWs engage in work at their current organization. Organizations should take steps to enhance their reputations and support TAWs as much as possible to increase TAWs’ organizational identification and thus achieve a competitive advantage.