Open AccessThe effects of after-hours work activities and job-related social activities on recovery and job engagement
Author(s) -
Seohyun Ji,
Sunhee Lee
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
han'gug simlihag hoeji. san'eob mich jo'jig/korean journal of industrial and organizational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2671-4345
pISSN - 1229-0696
DOI - 10.24230/kjiop.v33i4.353-371
Subject(s) - psychology , evening , job attitude , work engagement , mediation , ego depletion , psychological intervention , job performance , social psychology , job satisfaction , work (physics) , astronomy , mechanical engineering , physics , self control , psychiatry , political science , law , engineering
Although academic and social interests in the effects of long working hours and after-hours job-related activities on recovery from work have increased, few empirical studies have investigated the effects of after-hours job-related social activities on recovery and job effectiveness. We hypothesized and examined a mediation model that job-related social activities and after-hours work activities could influence next day ego depletion and job engagement through psychological detachment. Data from 377 employees who responded twice a day (morning and evening) for two weeks were collected using a daily diary survey. Multi-level analyses showed that as employees spent more time at both job-related social activities and after-hours work activities, their psychological detachment decreased, resulting in a higher ego depletion and a lower job engagement on the following day. Interestingly, after-hours job-related social activities had a larger effect on ego depletion than after-hours work activities. Finally, the direct effects of after-hours work activities and job-related social activities on ego depletion were also significant. These findings suggest that after-hours work-related activities can affect ego depletion through alternative or multiple paths, as opposed to solely a psychological detachment. The findings of this study could help us contribute to understand the harmful effects of after-hours work activities and job-related social activities on the recovery process. They also have important implications in terms of interventions for recovery.