Daily Job Demands: The Role of Recovery and Resources

Prof. dr. Arnold Bakker

Erasmus University Rotterdam

bakker@fsw.eur.nl

EAWOP, May 2007, Stockholm

Outline

• Recovery

• Job Resources

• Hypotheses• Work Engagement, Performance

• Results Multilevel analyses

• Discussion

• Dealing with job demands requires physical work, attention, concentration

• Energy expenditure make people feel fatigued, because their resources are depleted (cf. Meijman et al., 1992)

• People need rest to recover

• Recovery: Process of replenishing resources

Recovery

• High job demands greater need for recovery (Sluiter et al., 1999)

• Intensive work environment more difficulties in unwinding during evening (Meijman et al., 1992)

• Optimal recovery also depends on type and quality of activities (Sonnentag, 2001; Sonnentag & Zijlstra, 2006)

Previous Research

FATIGUE WORKENGAGEMENT

APATHY BOREDOM

LOW

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

JOB RESOURCES

JOB

DE

MA

ND

SResources during workday

Job Demands

Engagement

JobResources

Recovery

Performance

Hypotheses

“Work engagement is a positive, affective-motivational state of fulfillment that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption”

Schaufeli & Bakker (2003)

Work Engagement

Sample

• 53 employees working on assembly lines• 10-day diary study• 35% overall response• 83% male• Mean age: 37 years• Organizational tenure: 2.7 years• Low level of education

Example Items

• Job Demands (6 items based on Van Veldhoven &

Meijman 1994)

• Today, I had to work very fast

• I really had to concentrate on my work the whole day

• Job Resources (5 items; Bakker et al., 2003)

• Today, I could easily interrupt my work if I wanted to

(autonomy)

• Today, it was easy to know how I performed my job

(feedback)

Example Items

• Recovery• When I started my shift today, I felt recovered

• When I started my shift today, I felt rested

• Work Engagement (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003)

• Today, I felt vital and strong (vigor)

• Today, I was enthusiastic about my job (dedication)

• Performance (based on Goodman & Svyantek)

• Today, I performed very well

• Today, I voluntarily did more than required

Job Demands

Engagement

JobResources

Recovery

Performance

Results

Demands * Recovery

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Low Demands High Demands

En

gag

emen

t

Low Recovery

High Recovery

Demands * Recovery

3

4

5

6

7

Low Demands High Demands

Per

form

ance

Low Recovery

High Recovery

Conclusions• Recovery helps to keep job demands challenging

• “Recharging the batteries” helps to perform well

• Insight in the function of recovery on daily basis

• No evidence in this study for buffer role of job resources

• More studies needed on recovery as moderator

Contact

Arnold Bakkerbakker@fsw.eur.nl

Thanks!