Sammanfattning
The purpose of this study is to contribute to an understanding on how home health caregivers
experience engagement in their work, and specifically, how aspects of home healthcare work create
meaning associated with employee engagement. Although much research on engagement has been
conducted, little has addressed how individual differences such as worker orientation influence
engagement, or how engagement is experienced within a caregiving context. The study is based on a
qualitative study in two home homecare organisations in Denmark using a think-aloud data
technique, interviews and observations. The analysis suggests caregivers experience meaning in
three relatively distinct ways, depending on their work orientation. Specifically, the nature of
engagement varies across caregivers oriented towards being ‘nurturers’, ‘professionals’, or
‘workers’, and the sources of engagement differ for each of these types of caregivers. The article
contributes by (i) advancing our theoretical understanding of employee engagement by emphasising
meaning creation and (ii) identifying factors that influence meaning creation and engagement of home
health caregivers, which should consequently affect the quality of services provided home healthcare
patients. Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.