The relationship between skill variety, boredom proneness, and employee engagement

Abstract

Drawing on theory regarding workplace boredom, the aim of this research was to determine the extent to which boredom proneness moderates the relationship between skill variety and employee engagement within the Job Characteristics Model (JCM). Employed adults in the continental United States provided 344 responses to surveys that measured skill variety, boredom proneness, and employee engagement. The data revealed that boredom proneness amplified the skill variety-engagement relationship as hypothesized (β = 0.186, p < 0.001, t = 3.423, f² = 0.054). Contributions of the study include illuminating the negative, direct influence of boredom proneness on employee engagement and revealing that boredom proneness tends to decrease with age. The cross-sectional nature of the study, reliance on self-report scales, and underrepresentation of young adult employees are considered limitations of the study. The study also addresses how screening employees for boredom proneness can mitigate the effects of boredom on the job. Boredom-prone employees can implement error-checking techniques, self-actualization measures, and additional education to improve their performance or allow them to move into jobs requiring higher skill variety. Suggestions for future research include expanding the analysis to working teenagers and to other moderators in the JCM that demonstrate a strong linkage to the remaining JCM characteristics.