Context-free and work-related benefits of a leisure crafting intervention:A randomized controlled trial

Leisure crafting (i.e., proactive leisure activities targeted at goal-setting, human connection, and personal development) may have context-free and work-related benefits for individuals. With Study 1 of the present paper, we aimed at making causal inferences about leisure crafting outcomes: A 4-week randomized controlled trial compared an online leisure crafting intervention against a control group on context-free outcomes (meaning in life, need satisfaction, self-efficacy and context-free creativity) and work-related outcomes (work engagement, seeking challenges, and employee creativity). Analyses revealed that the intervention group experienced a greater increase in meaning, self-efficacy, work engagement and employee creativity compared to the control group. Study 2, a cross-sectional survey, replicated the findings of Study 1; additionally, it revealed positive links between leisure crafting and other-ratings of subjective well-being and context-free creativity. We discuss and integrate the findings of our studies and formulate recommendations on how organizations can use leisure crafting to create a happy workforce

Context-free and work-related benefits of a leisure crafting intervention:A randomized controlled trial

Leisure crafting (i.e., proactive leisure activities targeted at goal-setting, human connection, and personal development) may have context-free and work-related benefits for individuals. With Study 1 of the present paper, we aimed at making causal inferences about leisure crafting outcomes: A 4-week randomized controlled trial compared an online leisure crafting intervention against a control group on context-free outcomes (meaning in life, need satisfaction, self-efficacy and context-free creativity) and work-related outcomes (work engagement, seeking challenges, and employee creativity). Analyses revealed that the intervention group experienced a greater increase in meaning, self-efficacy, work engagement and employee creativity compared to the control group. Study 2, a cross-sectional survey, replicated the findings of Study 1; additionally, it revealed positive links between leisure crafting and other-ratings of subjective well-being and context-free creativity. We discuss and integrate the findings of our studies and formulate recommendations on how organizations can use leisure crafting to create a happy workforce

Job Demands–Resources theory and self-regulation: new explanations and remedies for job burnout

Background: High job demands and low job resources may cause job strain and eventually result in burnout. However, previous research has generally ignored the roles of time and self-regulation. Objectives: This theoretical article synthesizes the literature to propose a multilevel model that delineates how acute job strain translates into enduring and severe job burnout. Methods: We integrate self-regulation perspectives in job demands-resources (JD-R) theory to propose that short-term job strain and eventually enduring burnout is the result of consistently high job demands and low job resources–combined with failed self-regulation. Results: The model shows that when employees are confronted with increased job strain, they are more likely to use maladaptive self-regulation strategies, such as coping inflexibility and self-undermining. In addition, when job strain increases, employees are less likely to use adaptive self-regulation strategies, such as job stress recovery and job crafting. It follows that when the job becomes more stressful, stable resources become more important. Organizational resources such as human resource practices and healthy leadership may help employees to regulate their short-term fatigue and avoid enduring burnout. Furthermore, key personal resources like emotional intelligence and proactive personality may help employees to recognize and regulate their fatigue in an effective way. Conclusion: The proposed model of burnout expands JD-R theory and offers important practical implications for the prevention and reduction of burnout

Job crafting and playful work design: Links with performance during busy and quiet days

This study uses proactive work behavior and job demands–resources (JD-R) theories to propose that employees can use two proactive behavioral strategies to improve the internal organizational environment, namely job crafting and playful work design (PWD). Whereas job crafting concerns the proactive adjustment of the job, PWD refers to the active creation of conditions at work that foster play. We hypothesize that individuals perform better on the days they seek job resources and challenges, or design their work to be playful. In addition, we propose that seeking job resources and reducing job demands are most effective when work pressure is high, and that seeking challenges and PWD are most effective when work pressure is low. A total of 77 Norwegian naval cadets completed a diary questionnaire for 30 consecutive days (total N = 2310). Results of multilevel modeling showed that daily seeking job resources, seeking challenges, and playful work design were each positively related to colleague-ratings of job performance. Reducing job demands was negatively related to performance. Furthermore, as hypothesized, seeking challenges and PWD were most effective when the work pressure was low. These findings contribute to the proactive work motivation and JD-R literatures by showing which work strategies are positively related to job performance, and under which conditions.acceptedVersio

Job crafting and playful work design: Links with performance during busy and quiet days

This study uses proactive work behavior and job demands–resources (JD-R) theories to propose tha

Playful Work Design: Introduction of a New Concept

This article introduces the concept of playful work design - the process through which employees proactively create conditions within work activities that foster enjoyment and challenge without changing the design of the job itself. First, we review play theory and the motives people may have to play during work. In addition, we use the literature on proactive work behavior to argue that individuals can take personal initiative to increase person-job fit. Combining these literatures, we provide a theoretical framework for playful work design. We discuss the development and validation of an instrument to assess playful work design, and review recent studies to elucidate the psychological effects of playful work design and its possible outcomes. Finally, we briefly discuss pra

Job demands - resources theory and self-regulation: New explanations and remedies for job burnout

Background: High job demands and low job resources may cause job strain and eventually result in burnout. However, previous research has generally ignored the roles of time and self-regulation. Objectives: This theoretical article synthesizes the literature to propose a multilevel model that delineates how acute job strain translates into enduring and severe job burnout. Methods: We integrate self-regulation perspectives in job demands-resources (JD-R) theory to propose that short-term job strain and eventually enduring burnout is the result of consistently high job demands and low job resources–combined with failed self-regulation. Results: The model shows that when employees are confronted with increased job strain, they are more likely to use maladaptive self-regulation strategies, such as coping inflexibility and self-undermining. In addition, when job strain increases, employees are less likely to use adaptive self-regulation strategies, such as job stress recovery and job crafting. It follows that when the job becomes more stressful, stable resources become more important. Organizational resources such as human resource practices and healthy leadership may help employees to regulate their short-term fatigue and avoid enduring burnout. Furthermore, key personal resources like emotional intelligence and proactive personality may help employees to recognize and regulate their fatigue in an effective way. Conclusion: The proposed model of burnout expands JD-R theory and offers important practical implications for the prevention and reduction of burnout

The physical activity paradox: A longitudinal study of the implications for burnout

Purpose: This study investigates the independent and interactive associations of physical job demands and three types of off-job physical activity (during transportation, household, and recreation) with burnout. We use a recently proposed new conceptualization and assessment of burnout including core and secondary burnout symptoms. We predicted that physical job demands would be positively and the three types of off-job physical activity would be negatively related to burnout. Further, we hypothesized that the negative relations between the three types of off-job physical activity and burnout would be stronger for employees with low (vs. high) physical job demands. Methods: To test our hypotheses, we conducted a two-wave survey study among a heterogeneous sample of full-time workers (N = 355), using a longitudinal design with a half-year time lag. We tested cross-sectional, prospective and longitudinal relations. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses partly confirmed our predictions. Cross-sectionally and prospectively, it was shown that physical job demands were positively related to burnout symptoms. In addition, off-job physical activity was negatively related to primary and secondary burnout symptoms among employees with low physical job demands and positively related to burnout symptoms among employees with high physical job demands. However, these relationships disappeared when investigated longitudinally. Conclusion: Together, these findings suggest that not all off-job physical activities can prevent burnout, and that potential positive effects of physical activity during off-job time may depend on employees’ physical activity level at work