Momentary work happiness as a function of enduring burnout and work engagement

The present study (N = 136) combined global measures with specific, experience-based measures to investigate how enduring job burnout and engagement influence the impact of daily work activities on momentary need satisfaction and happiness. We used the day reconstruction method (DRM) to ask employees from various occupations to reconstruct their working days. On the basis of employee work engagement and self-determination theories, we hypothesized that time spent on (a) core work tasks; (b) administrative work tasks; (c) client interactions; (d) interactions with colleagues; and (e) meetings would be negatively related to need satisfaction on the task level for employees high (vs. low) in enduring burnout; and positively related to need satisfaction on the task level for employees high (vs. low) in enduring work engagement. In addition, we predicted that psychological need satisfaction would mediate the relationships between time spent on work tasks and happiness during the tasks. The results of multilevel analyses largely supported these hypotheses. Our findings contribute to the literature by showing how those with high levels of burnout do not manage to satisfy their basic needs through their work, whereas those with high levels of work engagement satisfy their daily needs and stay happy.\u3cbr/\u3e\u3cbr/\u3e\u3cbr/\u3eKEYWORDS: Burnout, day reconstruction method, employee engagement, happiness, self-determination theor

Motivating job characteristics and happiness at work:a multilevel perspective

\u3cp\u3eEmployees may react differently to the perceived availability of motivating job characteristics during work activities, depending on the degree to which such motivating job characteristics are also present at the job level and individual differences. This study expands Job Characteristics Theory (JCT) by using a multilevel approach to predict how variations in motivating job characteristics relate to employee happiness during daily work activities. Based on adaptation level theory and the affective-reactivity hypothesis, we predicted that the positive relationship between perceived motivating job characteristics and happiness during work activities is moderated by motivating job characteristics at the job level and individual differences in trait positive affect. A sample of 68 employees filled out a general survey and reported on their job characteristics and happiness during 741 work activities using a day reconstruction method across five working days. In line with adaptation level theory, multilevel results confirmed that the perceived availability of motivating job characteristics during work activities relates positively to happiness during that same work activity, but only when similar motivating job characteristics at the job level are low. In addition, trait positive affect further moderated this cross-level interaction. In line with the affective-reactivity hypothesis, the 3-way interaction effect showed that for employees who are high in positive affect, the perceived availability of motivating job characteristics related positively to happiness during specific work activities, regardless of whether similar motivating job characteristics at the job level were high or low. We discuss how these findings add important temporal dynamics to JCT.\u3c/p\u3

Daily job crafting and momentary work engagement: a self-determination and self-regulation perspective

The present study investigates the possible mechanisms involved in the link between daily job crafting and daily work engagement. Using self-determination theory, we hypothesize that daily job crafting is positively related to daily work engagement through momentary need satisfaction and momentary engagement. Additionally, using self-regulation theory, we predict that daily job crafting is negatively related to daily work engagement, through momentary energy depletion and (reduced) momentary work engagement. Participants from various occupational sectors (N = 66) responded to a daily diary questionnaire (N = 261) as well as momentary, task-related items (N = 1539) using a day reconstruction method at the end of each of four working days. The results of multilevel modeling were generally supportive of the hypotheses. We conclude that daily job crafting can have both positive and negative implications for daily work engagement, and discuss the practical implications of our findings

How challenging was your work today? : The role of autonomous work motivation

The main aim of this study was to investigate whether autonomous motivation for work can explain the distinctive associations between hindrance and challenge demands and work-related well-being (i.e., positive affect and work engagement) on a within-person level. Autonomous work motivation represents the degree to which motivation for putting effort in work is intrinsic (i.e., with a sense of volition and personal choice) or has been internalized (i.e., without feelings of internal or external pressure). In order to test our hypotheses, we employed a diary methodology and followed 153 secondary school teachers throughout five consecutive working days. The results of multilevel modelling provided support for the hypothesized research model. On days when teachers experienced more challenges, they also experienced more positive affect and more engagement in their work on the same day, and this relationship could be explained by (higher) autonomous work motivation on that day. In contrast, on days when teachers experienced more hindrance demands, they experienced less positive affect and less work engagement, and this process was explained by (reduced) autonomous work motivation that day. Our findings add to the literature by showing that daily autonomous motivation as a motivational process can explain why daily challenge and hindrance demands are differentially related to positive well-being at work.\u3cbr/\u3e\u3cbr/\u3e\u3cbr/\u3eKEYWORDS: work-related well-being, challenge and hindrance job demands, autonomous work motivation, diary methodology, employee engagemen

Work happiness among teachers : a day reconstruction study on the role of self-concordance

Self-concordant work motivation arises from one's authentic choices, personal values, and interests. In the present study, we investigated whether self-concordant motivation may fluctuate from one work-related task to the next. On the basis of self-determination theory, we hypothesized that momentary self-concordance buffers the negative impact of momentary work demands on momentary happiness. We developed a modified version of the day reconstruction method to investigate self-concordance, work demands, and happiness during specific work-related tasks on a within-person and within-day level. In total, 132 teachers completed a daily diary on three consecutive work days as well as a background questionnaire. The daily diary resulted in 792 reported work activities and activity-related work demands, self-concordance, and happiness scores. Multilevel analysis showed that—for most work activities—state self-concordant motivation buffered the negative association of work demands with happiness. These findings add to the literature on motivation and well-being by showing that the levels of self-concordance and happiness experienced by employees vary significantly on a within-day level and show a predictable pattern. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of the findings to increase employees' well-being

Amplition in the workplace: building a sustainable workforce through individual positive psychological interventions

Workforce sustainability is of vital utmost importance for the viability and competitive advantage of contemporary organizations. Therefore, and in parallel with the rise of positive organizational psychology, organizations have become increasingly interested in how to enhance their employees’ positive psychological well being. In this paper, amplition interventions – i.e. interventions aimed at enhancing positive work-related well being - are presented as a valuable tool to increase workforce sustainability. In the past decade, some work-related interventions focused on amplition have been developed and tested for their effectiveness. In this paper, we will first outline some important preconditions for successful interventions and briefly discuss the intervention process itself. Next, we will give an overview of empirical work on amplition interventions, focusing on interventions that are aimed at enhancing employee work engagement. Future research should focus on testing the effects of this type of interventions on outcomes at the team and organizational level.\u3cbr/\u3e\u3cbr/\u3

Need for recovery after emotional labor:Differential effects of daily deep and surface acting

\u3cp\u3eThis diary study examines the psychological processes that contribute to daily recovery from emotional labor by combining emotion regulation with work-home resources theories. We hypothesized that overall perceptions of display rules relate positively to daily deep and surface acting. Daily surface acting was expected to relate positively to exhaustion and negatively to flow during work and consequently, to a higher need for recovery at the end of the workday. In contrast, daily deep acting was hypothesized to relate positively to flow and negatively to exhaustion and consequently, to a lower need for recovery at the end of the workday. In turn, need for recovery was expected to associate negatively to vigor at bedtime through reduced relaxation during leisure. Fifty Dutch and Polish employees first filled in a survey, and then a diary for five consecutive workdays, twice per day: at the end of the workday and before sleep. Multilevel path analyses largely supported these hypotheses suggesting that surface acting has unfavorable implications, whereas deep acting has favorable implications for daily well-being at work and recovery after work.\u3c/p\u3

Daily activities and happiness in later life: the role of work status

The aim of this study was to examine the role of work status (i.e. working versus not working) in the relationship between time-use and momentary happiness. We employed a longitudinal research design using monthly assessments via the day reconstruction method over 3 years among 579 older adults. In total, participants reported 84,247 daily activities and accompanying momentary happiness levels. Hierarchical linear modeling results revealed that working older individuals are not happier than nonworking individuals in the overall. However, involvement in work as a daily activity does coincide with higher levels of momentary happiness. Furthermore, working older individuals experience more happiness during relaxing activities, and during weekends, whereas nonworking older individuals experience more happiness during administrative activities. These findings provide novel information on intraindividual differences in lifestyle relating to the everyday happiness between working and nonworking older people which cannot be accurately captured by global survey methods

How feeling happy during off-job activities helps successful recovery from work : a day reconstruction study

This diary study builds on the effort-recovery and broaden-and-build theories to examine whether the subjective experience of off-job activities (work-related, household, social, physical, low-effort) matters for an individual's daily recovery from work. It was hypothesized that momentary happiness experienced during off-job activities stops the prolongation of load reactions from work-related effort, and builds personal resources that benefit daily recovery from work. Using a day reconstruction method, 384 participants recruited via a Dutch website reconstructed their time spent on, and happiness during, off-job activities, and their daily recovery on workdays over a two-week period. Results of hierarchical linear modelling showed that work-related and household activities during off-job time were negatively associated with recovery at bedtime when happiness during such activities was low, but not when happiness was high. Social and physical activities were associated positively with recovery when happiness during such activities was high, but negatively when happiness was low, indicating that such activities only aid recovery when they are enjoyed. The findings expand knowledge on recovery by showing that it is not just the time spent on off-work activities but the subjective experience of such activities that plays a pivotal role in the way they are linked to recovery