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This study extends research on work engagement by examining how a short respite and general job involvement contribute to work engagement. We gathered questionnaire data from 156 nurses before and after a short respite. Results indicated an increase of work engagement after the respite. Structural equation modelling showed that nurses who experienced psychological detachment from work during the respite showed a higher increase of work engagement. Moreover, nurses who indicated higher job involvement also showed a higher increase of work engagement. Contradictory to this direct positive effect job involvement had on change in work engagement, job involvement exerted a negative indirect effect on change in work engagement by impaired psychological detachment during the respite. Hence, job involvement acted as a double-edged sword for the increase of work engagement. Practical implications for the organization of short respites and suggestions for future research on recovery processes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staying vigorous throughout the day is important for work-related behaviour, subjective well-being, and for effective functioning in the family domain. This study examined trait vigour (i.e. a person's general level of vigour), day-specific workload (time pressure, work hours), and recovery resulting from unwinding during leisure time as predictors of day-specific vigour as experienced at the end of the working day. Seventy-five individuals from service and public administration organizations completed one general survey and daily surveys two times per day for five working days. Trait vigour, demographic variables and control variables (e.g. job control, home workload) were assessed in the general survey. Day-specific level of vigour, day-specific workload, and day-specific recovery were measured in the daily survey. Analyses following a hierarchical linear modelling approach showed that trait vigour, day-specific workload and recovery accumulated during the preceding evenings predicted an individual's level of vigour at the end of the working day, after controlling for a range of other variables (gender, age, job control, and home workload). Trait vigour and accumulated recovery experiences interacted significantly to predict vigour at the end of the working day, indicating that individuals high on trait vigour benefit most from recovery experienced over the course of several days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increased flexibilization of work, more and more employees are required to structure their own work and coordinate it with others and thus need to handle the cognitive demands of flexible work. However, research to date has not provided clear results regarding the impact of these cognitive demands on employees. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cognitive demands on psychological detachment and cognitive flexibility in the home domain and to uncover the specific psychological processes that underlie these associations. Specifically, we analyzed whether two types of cognitive demands of flexible work (structuring one’s work and coordinating work with others) were associated with psychological detachment and cognitive flexibility via two distinct processes that involve cognitive load and learning. Using a diary study with two daily measurement points over 10 workdays, we collected data from 54 employees of an IT company who provided 334 day-level datasets. Bayesian multilevel mediation analyses revealed that the two cognitive demands sparked distinct processes. Daily demands for structuring one’s work are linked to an enrichment process that includes daily learning and, subsequently, daily cognitive flexibility at home. In contrast, daily demands for coordinating work with others are linked to a conflict process that encompasses daily cognitive load and subsequently reduced psychological detachment at home. These findings suggest that, depending on the specific cognitive demand, cognitive demands have either beneficial or adverse effects on employees’ functioning at home and therefore lead to either an enrichment or conflict process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]