Engagement among public university teachers: an indicator of occupational health

Abstract

Occupational health education and prevention are essential for teachers to be productive, demonstrate initiative, avoid absenteeism, and remain motivated, satisfied, and committed to the workplace. In this sense, work engagement ensures a positive and persistent mental state of the worker. It refers to the state of well-being represented by its three dimensions: Vigor (demonstrating high levels of energy while working), Dedication (being committed to work and representing a meaningful action for one's being and doing), and Absorption (fully concentrating on work activity, that is, feeling that time flies while enjoying the work actions one performs). Objective: To highlight the level of vigor, dedication, and absorption of teachers at a public university, in order to reassert their presence as indicators of occupational health. Method: A quantitative, descriptive, cross- sectional study. The Utrecht Work Engagement scale, a Likert-type scale with seven response options ranging from 0 = never to 6 = every day, was applied to a random sample. It comprises three dimensions: Vigor (consisting of 6 items), Dedication (5 items), and Absorption (6 items). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS v. 22. Results: All 203 participants had high levels of Vigor, Dedication, and Absorption. Conclusion: Engagement or work commitment (vigor, dedication, and absorption) are indicators of occupational health for teaching, as they express it with energy, willpower, persistence, enthusiasm, and inspiration.