Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

2-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Psychology

Advisor

Yochi Cohen-Charash

Committee Members

Zhiqing Zhou

Charles Scherbaum

Harold Goldstein

Kristin Sommer

Subject Categories

Industrial and Organizational Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

hybrid work, stressors, strains, recovery experiences

Abstract

There has been a drastic increase in the number of hybrid employees (i.e., employees who work remotely for part of a workweek) since the COVID-19 pandemic. While previous research has highlighted some of the benefits and costs of remote work, research on hybrid work is still in its early stages. One area that remains unclear is how hybrid work relates to stressor experiences and in-work recovery from work. The present study examined how levels of specific stressors (i.e., workload, availability pressure) vary depending on whether employees work remotely or in the office, and how the variations of these stressors across days relate to strain outcomes (i.e., emotional exhaustion, work-family conflict). It also examined how levels of in-work recovery experiences (i.e., relaxation, enjoyment, break-need fit) vary depending on work location and relate to strain outcomes. Lastly, recovery experiences were examined as a potential moderator in the stressor-strain relationship. Data were collected from 64 participants across 10 workdays. Multilevel analyses found that on days when employees worked from home, they experienced lower workload and higher levels of recovery experiences compared to days when they worked in the office. Further, recovery experiences were negatively related to emotional exhaustion and work-family conflict, while workload and availability pressure were positively related to work-family conflict. Only workload but not availability pressure was positively related to emotional exhaustion. Lastly, relaxation was the only significant moderator in the stressor-strain relationship with relaxation moderating the positive relationship between workload and work-family conflict. Findings of this study extend our understanding of how hybrid employees' stressor and in-work recovery experiences vary depending on work location, their impact on hybrid employees’ strains, and how in-work recovery affects stressor-strain relationships.

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