Content uploaded by Sabine Sonnentag
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Sabine Sonnentag on Dec 08, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
Work, recovery activities, and individual well-being: A diary study
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
Abstract
This study extends previous research on respite from work and addresses the question of how individuals use their leisure time to recover from work. It is hypothesized that time spent on work-related and household activities has a negative effect on well-being, whereas low-effort, social, and physical activities are assumed to have a positive effect. One hundred Dutch teachers completed a diary on leisure time activities and situational well-being for 5 days, and work situation variables were assessed with a questionnaire. Multilevel analyses in which preleisure well-being and work situation variables were entered as control variables supported 4 of the 5 hypotheses. Moreover, a lagged effect of high time pressure on poor situational well-being was found. The study showed that leisure time activities and a low-stress work situation contribute independently to an individual's well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
... Specifically, individuals can engage in low-effort activities, socializing, and exercise, all of which provide time and distance from work and result in a return to baseline resources or building up new resources (Meijman and Mulder 1998;Sonnentag and Niessen 2008). These three recovery activities represent the fundamental ways by which individuals can recover lost resources, according to the model (Sonnentag 2001). ...
... Low-effort activities refer to behaviors that require minimal effort, such as watching TV, flipping through a magazine, scrolling through social media, or simply relaxing on the couch. They minimize the current demands placed on an individual, permitting physical and psychological systems to return to prestressor states (Oerlemans and Bakker 2014;Sonnentag 2001). Consistent with this argument, low-effort activities are negatively related to feelings of exhaustion (Sianoja et al. 2018; ten Brummelhuis and Trougakos 2014), suggesting they are capable of buffering emotional energy resource losses from surface acting. ...
... Socializing (interacting with friends, family members, or other individuals in a social setting) similarly minimizes work demands and distances individuals from work responsibilities but also allows for resource gains through access to social support (Sonnentag 2001), which can buffer job demands (Bakker, Demerouti, and Euwema 2005). In fact, both low-effort activities and socializing buffer work stressors on emotional energy (Kim, Park, and Niu 2017;Oerlemans and Bakker 2014) were related to increased positive affect (Kim, Park, and Headrick 2018) and were associated with lower fatigue (Trougakos et al. 2013). ...
In service work, emotional labor is primarily performed by surface acting (modifying expressions) and deep acting (modifying moods). Deep acting is clearly more effective for performance and less costly to health, raising the question—why do employees use the less effective strategy of surface acting? Conservation of resources theory suggests that when employees lack sufficient energy resources, they are more likely to conserve resources and rely on less effective surface acting, which creates future resource loss (i.e., a loss spiral). We test this spiral prediction, while also integrating the effort‐recovery model to propose after‐work activities as a means of slowing resource loss spirals. Across two experience sampling studies of full‐time service workers, we find support for a resource loss spiral through surface acting in Study 1 and partial support in Study 2. Further, low‐effort activities like relaxing after work allowed employees to slow the loss spirals from surface acting in both studies. We conclude that the “poor get poorer” (maintaining surface acting) over time, whereas recovery after work effectively breaks the loss spiral of surface acting. Our study expands theoretical understanding of the resource‐based view of emotional labor and practical advice for how to replenish workers' resources over time.
... We use data from four surveys among French business owners and linear regressions as well as SEM analysis to study the link between overall daily recovery experiences (DRE) and its four dimensions (detachment 2 , relaxation, mastery and control) on the one hand and two dimensions of mental health (well-being and burnout) on the other hand. Our setup uses the DRE approach of Sonnentag (2001) which is based on two theories. First, the job-stress theory and, in particular, the effort-recovery model (Meijman & Mulder, 1998), which posits that disengaging from work (physically and mentally) is necessary to start a recovery process. ...
... The first approach refers to the notion of activity, which initiates the recovery process; different types of activities exist, and not all of them allow recovery. Indeed, activities with few daily obligations (e.g., physical activity, watching television, seeing friends) are a source of well-being and allow recovery (Sonnentag et al., 2022), whereas activities with frequent daily obligations (e.g., cleaning, taking care of children) do not allow for recovery (Sonnentag, 2001;Steed et al., 2021). The second approach refers to the psychological experience underlying the activity, perceived and lived beyond work time or during breaks at work (Sonnentag et al., 2022). ...
... The goal was to improve physical and mental symptoms to a degree sufficient for them to no longer interfere with daily functioning (Davidson et al., 2005;Moos & Schaefer, 1984). Sonnentag (2001) expanded on research concerning employee downtime, exploring how evening recovery activities not only contribute to stress reduction but also enhance overall wellbeing. Moreover, this novel approach investigated the experiences of recovery following these activities, providing a perspective on how individuals recalibrate and restore their energy. ...
... is to spend non-work and leisure time on something that makes us happy and energizes us for work. Overall, leisure activities effectively lower stress levels and positively affect individuals' situational well-being before going to sleep because of their attention-attracting nature and the possibility of meaningful experiences (Kocak et al., 2023.;Sonnentag, 2001;Sonnentag et al., 2022). Interestingly, studies found that engaging in active leisure pursuits (e.g., physical activities, social interactions, and creative endeavors) is more beneficial for enhancing well-being than passive leisure activities (Kuykendall et al., 2020). ...
... Social activities refer to social contact with other people: meeting with family members, friends, and other individuals or groups (Sonnentag, 2001). Frequent and deeper social interactions boost well-being (Sun et al., 2020), primarily face-to-face interaction . ...
The proliferation of technological advancements reshaped the nature of the contemporary work environment. Organizational routines are changing, and novel working modes are gaining momentum. Increasingly digitized workplace entails constant human–computer interaction. Despite many advantages (e.g., better communication, increased knowledge-sharing opportunities, raised productivity, and efficiency), sound drawbacks of digitized work exist (e.g., demotivation and mental fatigue, the imperative to dehumanize work by adopting digital tools, the overwhelming presence of various digital tools, and the employee’s inability to switch off from work). As digital work becomes ubiquitous, employees increasingly struggle to retain well-being. Therefore, this chapter provides an in-depth description of the challenges related to seven strategies for promoting employee well-being. We provide evidence-based recommendations on how individuals can improve their own well-being, and how can organizations shape policies and encourage practical usage of these strategies in the digitized work environment.
... This ultimately boosts productivity at the workplace. Several observational studies have shown that active participation in recreational activities is associated with better health and well-being among working adults (Sonnentag, 2001). ...
58 workers in a garment factory volunteered to take part in a cross-sectional survey, using a Google form after consent. One-way ANOVA was used as a statistical tool to analyze the relation between the impact of recreation methods on injury and accident incidents in the past year as well as their recovery time (resuming work). There were 22.4% female workers. Maximum workers were in the age group of 21-30 years. 41.4% were permanently residing in the vicinity and the majority (55.2%) were Muslims, 51.7% belonged to Rajasthan, India. The prevalence of self-reported accidents and injuries at and outside work was 9 episodes,15.52%. Maximum workers spent 6-8 hours in their occupation. 63.8% lived with their family. The majority were married. Maximum could pass time on phone, followed by sleeping (other than night sleep) for recreation. Cooking having meals together, and early morning walks were also highly practiced for recreation. Discussions with friends and family and outings with family were significantly associated with recovery. Higher salary and marriage were inversely associated with accidents, injuries, and periods of recovery.
... Nonetheless, taking breaks during the work day is beneficial. Day-level studies showed that engaging in recovery activities is related to overall well-being at bedtime (Sonnentag, 2001) and to low exhaustion and high vigor the next morning (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012;ten Brummelhuis & Trougakos, 2014). Leisure activities such as physical, social, or creative activities are more helpful for improving well-being than passive leisure activities such as watching TV (Kuykendall et al., 2020). ...
In contemporary, high-speed work settings, ensuring the well-being of employees is of paramount importance. The current study builds on this concern about employee well-being and aims to explore the complex connection between workload (as a job demand), micro-breaks (as behavioral resources), and psychological capital (PsyCap; as a personal resource) to understand their impact on end-of-day well-being. A daily diary approach was employed, where employees provided data from Monday to Friday throughout a workweek. Micro-breaks exhibit significant negative associations with fatigue and positive associations with vigor, suggesting that employees experience reduced fatigue and heightened vigor when engaging in short respites. However, the type of micro-break activities (work-related or non-work-related) yields distinct effects on well-being. Contrary to our expectations, the data did not support the assumption that PsyCap moderates the relationship between workload and well-being. The findings underscore the importance of recognizing the value of micro-breaks in the contemporary work landscape. Employers and organizations can foster more supportive work environments by encouraging the adoption of micro-breaks as a strategy for improving employee well-being.
... These studies demonstrated how resources such as social support and problem-focused coping methods can reduce WFC and minimize negative loss cycles. In addition, Sonnentag (2001Sonnentag ( , 2005 emphasized the significance of engaging in personal activities that enhance one's resources during time off from work, as these activities can effectively mitigate stress and strain. Lapierre and Allen (2006) presented research supporting the effectiveness of coping schemes, such as seeking social support and using challenge-centric adaptive mechanisms, in reducing WFC. ...
Research aims: This study examines how psychological well-being mediates work-life balance and employee performance in Ghana’s public hospitals. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Study used a quantitative design. In AMOS version 23, structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data obtained from 350 participants through a simple random technique. Research findings: This study shows that work-life balance has a strong positive correlation between psychological well-being and employee performance. The study also finds a considerable positive association between psychological well-being and worker performance, and more importantly, the results showed psychological well-being as a mediator in the relationship between work-life balance and employee performance. Theoretical contribution: Empirical evidence supports the Conservation of Resource Theory, making them relevant to Ghana’s public hospitals. Practitioner/Policy implications: These findings add to organizational psychology by emphasizing the importance of supportive work environments, work-life balance, and psychological well-being in healthcare employee performance. Research limitation/Implication: The limited sample size used in this study limits the generalisability of the results. A larger sample size could increase the results’ robustness.
... Boş zaman ve kişisel bakım, bireylerin sağlığı üzerinde doğrudan bir etkiye sahiptir. Özellikle serbest zaman aktivitelerinin bireylerin stres düzeyini azaltmaya yardımcı olduğu ve bu sayede hem mental hem de fiziksel sağlıklarının iyileştiği belirtilmektedir (Sonnentag, 2001). Ayrıca, kişisel bakım faaliyetlerinin de bireylerin refahını artırdığı ve yaşam kalitesini yükselttiği vurgulanmaktadır (Stebbins, 2016). ...
Günümüz dünyası, ekonomik belirsizlikler, sosyal değişimler ve teknolojik gelişmelerle şekillenmektedir. Bu dinamik ortamda, doğru ve güncel verilerin analizi, yalnızca akademik bir gereklilik değil, aynı zamanda toplumsal ve ekonomik karar alma süreçlerinin de temelini oluşturmaktadır. "Güncel Ekonometrik ve İstatistiksel Uygulamalar ile Akademik Çalışmalar" isimli bu eser, bu ihtiyaçları karşılamak amacıyla hazırlanmıştır. Kitap, farklı disiplinlerden gelen akademisyenlerin ve araştırmacıların katkılarıyla oluşturulmuş olup, ekonometri ve istatistik alanındaki gelişmeleri ve uygulamaları ele almaktadır. İçerisinde yer alan bölümler hem teorik altyapıyı hem de pratik uygulamaları bir araya getirerek okuyuculara geniş bir perspektif sunmayı hedeflemektedir. Bu bölümlerini iki ana başlık olan ekonometrik ve istatistiksel uygulamalar olarak gruplayabiliriz. İlk grup, ekonomi, sosyal yapı ve istatistiksel analizlerle ilgili konuları içeren ekonomik değişkenler, sosyal durum analizleri ve makroekonomik etkiler üzerine odaklanmaktadır. İkinci grupta ise istatistiksel yöntemlerle veri analizi, makine öğrenimi, görüntü işleme gibi konuları içeren yöntemsel ve teknolojik yaklaşımlar ön plandadır. Ayrıca, sağlık, eğitim ve sosyal durum analizi gibi çeşitli konulara odaklanan araştırmalar disiplinler arası bir yaklaşım sergilemektedir. Akademik çalışmaların yanı sıra, bu kitap aynı zamanda uygulamalı istatistik ve ekonometrik modelleme konularında çalışan araştırmacılar için bir başvuru kaynağı olmayı amaçlamaktadır. Gelişen veri analizi teknikleri ve makine öğrenimi yöntemleri, günümüz araştırmalarında vazgeçilmez araçlar haline gelmiştir. Bu bağlamda, istatistiksel ve ekonometrik modelleme, veri madenciliği ve görüntü işleme gibi konular, kitabın önemli bölümlerini oluşturmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, "Güncel Ekonometrik ve İstatistiksel Uygulamalar ile Akademik Çalışmalar" adlı bu eser, akademisyenler, öğrenciler ve araştırmacılar için değerli bir kaynak olmayı hedeflemekte ve güncel ekonomik ve sosyal sorunlara ışık tutmaktadır. Bu kitabın hazırlanmasında emek veren tüm yazarlara ve bu çalışmanın yayınlanmasında emeği geçenlere teşekkür ederiz.
This article describes the adaptation of the questionnaire "The Recovery Experience Questionnaire" by S. Sonnentag, designed to evaluate recovery experiences after hours. The methodology is based on S. Hobfall's theory of resource conservation and T. Meiman's model of effort recovery. The questionnaire includes 16 items forming four self-assessment scales: psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery and control. At the moment, the methodology has been adapted and used in research in more than 10 countries, but it is being considered for the first time in a Russian-speaking sample. The study sample consisted of 302 people (162 women and 140 men) with an average age of 32 years from various professional fields (education, psychology, IT, HR, SMM and marketing, catering, industry, etc.). The Russian version of the methodology was tested for internal consistency, external and constructive validity. The factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure, showing a better match compared to the one-factor model. The Kronbach coefficient for each subscale exceeds 0.85, which confirms the high reliability of the questionnaire. The results indicate significant positive links between the recovery experience and indicators such as work-life balance, subjective well-being, and mindfulness. Negative correlations of the subscales of the questionnaire and the level of susceptibility to organizational stress were also found. Keeping the original questionnaire questions allows you to compare the results in different countries and professional groups. The main limitations of the study are discussed, including the small sample size, which requires future research with more diverse professional groups to further verify the reliability of REQ-R. Despite the sample size, the results obtained show sufficient statistical significance to substantiate conclusions about the reliability of measurements. The "Recovery Experience Questionnaire", adapted for the first time on a Russian-speaking sample, demonstrated ease of use and processing, as well as the necessary psychometric characteristics.
Turizm, modern dünyada ekonomik, sosyal ve kültürel boyutlarıyla önemli bir olgu haline gelmiştir. Ancak bu geniş kapsamlı önemi, turizm araştırmalarında çoğunlukla tek boyutlu ve yanlı yaklaşımlarla ele alınmaktadır. Turizm araştırmacılarının, inceledikleri fenomenle ontolojik bir birlik kurmaktan uzak olduğu gözlemlenmektedir. Çoğu araştırma, tatil deneyimini ve turizm olgusunu bütüncül bir şekilde anlamaya çalışmaktan çok, bu olguyu yüceltici bir tavırla yalnızca işletmecilik açısından olumlu yönlerini öne çıkarmaktadır. Bu yaklaşım, yalnızca yayınlanabilir sonuçlar üretmeye odaklanan ve değişkenler arası korelasyonlara hapsolan bir araştırma paradigmasını beslemektedir. Serinin ikinci makalesinde, turist deneyimi ve turizmi konu edinen turizm araştırmalarının eleştirel bir değerlendirmesi yapılacak, ekonomik perspektifin hakimiyetinin ve COVID-19 pandemisinin turizm araştırmalarında paradigmatik bir dönüşüm gerekliliğini ortaya koyduğu savunulacaktır. Turizm araştırmaları, sıklıkla değişkenler arası ilişkilerin istatistiksel korelasyonlarını incelemekle sınırlı kalmaktadır. Bu "kolerasyonalizm" olarak tanımlanabilecek yaklaşım, turizmi derinlemesine anlamayı engelleyen bir araştırma döngüsü yaratmaktadır. Kolerasyonalizm, varyans dünyasından bir türlü çıkamayan araştırmacıların konuya olgusal (değişkenler arası korelasyon) bakmakla yetinmelerine, gerçek neden-sonuç ilişkilerini ortaya koymaktan çok, yüzeysel bağlantılara odaklanma ve turizmin karmaşık doğasını kavramakta yetersiz kalmalarına neden olmaktadır. Bu yöntemsel sınır, turizmin teorik temellerine katkıda bulunmamakta ve pratikteki sorunları çözmekten uzak kalmaktadır. Örneğin, turist deneyimlerinin yalnızca "mutluluk" veya "tatmin" düzeyleri üzerinden incelenmesi, bu deneyimlerin kültürel, psikolojik ve sosyolojik boyutlarını göz ardı etmektedir. Araştırmalarda sıklıkla kullanılan standartlaştırılmış anketler ve nicel analiz yöntemleri ya da nicelleşmiş nitel çalışma, turizmin bireysel ve toplumsal etkilerini anlamada derinlikten yoksundur. Bu yaklaşım, turizmi anlamaktan ziyade, yalnızca mevcut pratiklere dayalı olarak geçici (palyatif) ve anlamsız bulgular üretmekte ve bu sonuçlar, sektörel veya akademik anlamda uzun vadeli bir değer yaratmamaktadır.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.