Abstract Background This study investigated the work engagement of supervising pharmacists and sought to identify factors contributing to high work engagement. Given the growing shortage of healthcare and welfare professionals in Japan, enhancing work engagement among pharmacists is critical to improve productivity and prevent turnover. Addressing these issues is particularly important for pharmacists providing local healthcare services. Supervising pharmacists were exclusively targeted due to their pivotal role as gatekeepers between organizational leadership and frontline staff, as well as the potential for a crossover effect, where their engagement influences that of their subordinates Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among supervising pharmacists from major insurance pharmacy companies between August 2023 and September 2024. Participants completed a web-based questionnaire assessing demographic data, occupational stress (The Brief Job Stress Questionnaire), and work engagement (The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale; UWES-17). The association between work engagement and the potential associated factors were evaluated using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Data from 973 participants (response rate: 88.9%) were analyzed. The median UWES-17 score was 2.82 (mean ± standard deviation: 2.80 ± 0.98). Among the three dimensions of work engagement, "dedication" scored the highest. Significant predictors of higher UWES-17 scores included perceived “meaningfulness of work,” “job control,” “suitable jobs,” “age group (≥ 50 years),” “coworker support,” “poor physical environment stress,” and “quantitative job overload.” Conclusions This study suggests that the distinct roles and workplace environments of supervising pharmacists shape their work engagement. Balancing job resources and demands is therefore critical for sustaining engagement and, by extension, for maintaining workforce stability and service quality in community pharmacies. Targeted interventions that may strengthen self-awareness, peer collaboration, and career development within structured practice communities could potentially reinforce these gains. Trail registration: Not applicable.
Ito et al. (Fri,) studied this question.