Purpose Despite growing attention to employee engagement, limited evidence exists on the boundary conditions under which proactive behaviors cultivate sustained engagement through empowerment, particularly the synergistic roles of organizational support and employee resilience. The three-wave study explores how proactive work behavior enhances employee engagement through employee empowerment, with perceived organizational support and employee resilience as boundary conditions. Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources, Conservation of Resources, and Social Exchange theories, we propose that proactive work behavior fuels engagement indirectly via empowerment and that supportive and resilient environments strengthen this process. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a three wave design and data from 308 Indian employees across diverse industries in Indian context were collected and analyzed. Findings The study established that employee empowerment mediates the proactive work behavior–employee engagement link, while perceived organizational support amplifies the proactive work behavior–employee empowerment relationship, and employee resilience enhances the empowerment–engagement path. Conditional indirect analyses show that engagement is most pronounced when perceived organizational support and high employee resilience are high. Research limitations/implications This study integrates JD-R, COR, and SET theories, positioning proactive work behavior as a self-initiated resource where empowerment mediates engagement, amplified by organizational support and resilience synergy, resolving prior theoretical inconsistencies. Practical implications Our study offers practical implications for HR practitioners to encourage proactive initiatives, invest in supportive leadership, and bolster resilience. Our study provides fresh insights into the dynamic interplay of individual and organizational resources sustaining employee engagement. Originality/value The novelty of the study lies in the three-wave study through a moderated mediation model, providing insights on the dynamics among proactive work behavior, employee empowerment, employee engagement with perceived organizational support and employee resilience as the boundary conditions.
Pradip Kumar Nanda (Fri,) studied this question.