The Social Architecture of the Shop Floor: How Perceived Organizational Support Mediates the Link Between Proactive Employee Relations and Work Engagement

Ramchandra Honap

doi:10.63363/aijfr.2025.v06i06.2062

The Social Architecture of the Shop Floor: How Perceived Organizational Support Mediates the Link Between Proactive Employee Relations and Work Engagement

Author(s)	Ramchandra Honap
Country	India
Abstract	In the context of India's rapidly expanding manufacturing sector, particularly within the high-pressure industrial hubs of Pune, retaining an engaged shop-floor workforce is a critical, yet unresolved, challenge. Traditional reactive industrial relations have proven insufficient. This study proposes a model based on Social Exchange Theory, positing that Proactive Employee Relations (PER)—a strategic, trust-based approach to the "social architecture" of the workplace—enhances Work Engagement (WE). This study investigates the psychological mechanism of this relationship, examining Perceived Organizational Support (POS) as the key mediator. A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were collected from N = 187 shop-floor employees and operational personnel within the Pune District manufacturing belt, utilizing a purposive sampling strategy. Validated scales were used for PER, POS (Survey of Perceived Organizational Support), and WE (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9). The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation, and mediation analysis using the Hayes' PROCESS macro (Model 4). The findings indicate that PER, POS, and WE are all significantly and positively correlated. The mediation analysis confirms the study's central thesis. PER has a significant positive total effect on WE (B =.452, p <.001), and a significant positive effect on POS (B =.648, p <.001). Crucially, POS was found to partially mediate the relationship between PER and WE. The indirect effect was significant (Effect = .311, 95% BootCI = [.198, .429]), demonstrating that PER influences WE largely by enhancing employees' perceptions that the organization values their contribution and cares for their well-being. This study provides empirical evidence for managers in the Pune manufacturing sector that investing in a proactive, supportive social architecture is a tangible and effective strategy for building POS and, consequently, driving the work engagement necessary for sustained competitive advantage.
Keywords	Proactive Employee Relations, Perceived Organizational Support (POS), Work Engagement, Social Exchange Theory, Manufacturing, Shop Floor, Pune District
Field	Business Administration
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-11-15
DOI	https://doi.org/10.63363/aijfr.2025.v06i06.2062
Short DOI	https://doi.org/hbbz74

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The Social Architecture of the Shop Floor: How Perceived Organizational Support Mediates the Link Between Proactive Employee Relations and Work Engagement

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