Core self-evaluations as a personal resource at work for motivation and health

We investigated the role of core self-evaluations (CSE) as a positive, personal resource in the motivational and health impairment processes outlined in the Job-Demands-Resources (JDR) model. In two samples of German and Dutch employees we investigated how this higher-order personality construct integrating self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability, contributes to the prediction of two outcomes pertaining to strain and well-being. In Study 1 (N = 135) we found CSE to be positively related to work engagement, directly, and indirectly via job crafting behavior aiming to enhance structural resources at work. In Study 2 (N = 330), we found a negative relationship of CSE with burnout, directly, and an indirect relationship via psychological detachment with regard to exhaustion. Against our expectations, we did not find support for a moderating effect of CSE in either study, neither on the relationship of job crafting behavior and work engagement, nor on the relationship of psychological detachment with exhaustion and disengagement. Nonetheless, our results support the role of CSE as a positive individual resource, sustaining the building of psychological and job resources. Therefore, our findings bear important practical implications for enhancing motivation and health of employees in today's organizations.