The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the relationships between work-related sense of coherence (work-SOC) and the two well-being concepts of job satisfaction and work engagement. The study was conducted among nursing home employees, who answered a survey in two waves with a one-year interval. The results of structural equation modelling analyses showed that work-SOC was related to future work engagement but not job satisfaction, indicating that work-SOC contributes to active rather than passive states of well-being. Hypotheses of neither reversed nor reciprocal relationships were supported. The longitudinal relationship with work engagement suggests that work-SOC is an important factor to consider in workplace health promotion and management of employee health, and further research is therefore recommended to learn more about the nature and development of work-SOC.