Work-related extended availability, psychological detachment, and interindividual differences: A cross-lagged panel study

Abstract

Work-related extended availability (WREA) refers to employees being available for work-related matters during leisure time. Although studies have suggested negative effects of WREA on employee health, there is a scarcity of longitudinal research especially studies trying to disentangle how WREA may impact health. Moreover, there are only few studies dealing with interindividual differences in the effects of WREA on health. These aspects are crucial as they can help laying a foundation for interventions that help coming to terms with negative effects of WREA. The current study implemented a cross-lagged panel design with three waves to clarify how effects of WREA unfold and whether there are interindividual differences. Based on the stressor-detachment-model and person-environmental-fit theory, we proposed that (1) the relationship between WREA and sleep as well as between WREA and exhaustion is mediated by psychological detachment, and (2) that the relationship between WREA and the outcomes is moderated by segmentation preferences. In total, 528 employees (320 women, mean age = 48 years) participated in the study. Although there was a cross-lagged negative association between WREA and detachment, we did not find an indirect relationship between WREA and either sleep or exhaustion via detachment. Moreover, we did not find evidence for interindividual differences in the effects of WREA on any of the outcomes. On the basis of the negative cross-lagged relationship between WREA and detachment from work, we recommend organizations to discourage employees from WREA, because failure to regularly recover from work may lead to health issues in the long run.