Freely Engaged: Volition and Work Engagement Among Temporary Agency Workers of the Indian IT Industry

Abstract

A lack of job security and other challenges mark the circumstances of temporary agency workers (TAWs). Yet, data from 511 TAWs of the Indian information technology (IT) industry captured via a structured questionnaire revealed the presence of volition or TAWs holding temporary jobs by choice. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, logistic regression was used to differentiate between voluntary and involuntary TAWs. In phase two, multiple regression was used to analyse the influence of volition on work engagement–overall and its individual components (vigour, dedication, and absorption). Logistic regression analysis showed that TAWs who were younger, single, educated in smaller cities and had worked for less than a year with a client were more likely to voluntarily choose temporary work. Further, multiple regression analysis demonstrated that such volition significantly boosts TAWs’ work engagement, in line with Self-Determination Theory’s perspective on autonomous motivation. The predictive model of categorizing TAWs into voluntary and involuntary groups based on demographic and job characteristics will help client and staffing organizations design customized policies for each group and promote factors enabling voluntary selection of temporary work arrangements.