Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Although the occupational callings literature has largely focused on positive outcomes of living a calling, there are some emerging findings that suggest that callings may have a “negative” side as well. Drawing upon past studies within the callings literature, as well as upon theoretical perspectives such as self-regulation theory, identity theory, and the Effort-Recovery model, I tested a theoretical model to examine psychological detachment as a mechanism that accounts for the relationship between living a calling (also referred to as one’s calling intensity) and two well-being outcomes: sleep quality and burnout. Further, I built on previous work in the callings literature by examining the moderating impact of two individual differences (trait mindfulness, perfectionism) on the relationship between calling intensity and psychological detachment. Study hypotheses were tested using a two-wave study design with 358 emergency medical professionals. Results revealed that for called emergency medical professionals, trait mindfulness strengthened the negative relationship between calling intensity and psychological detachment, which had downstream negative effects on sleep quality. In addition, one facet of perfectionism, namely perfectionistic strivings, exacerbated the negative indirect effect of calling intensity on sleep quality via psychological detachment. Ultimately, this study contributed to the occupational callings literature by examining the impact of differential levels of trait mindfulness and perfectionism on employee well-being. Implications for enhancing employee well-being are discussed.

Stressen inom arbetslivet är högre än någonsin och allt fler väljer att fortsätta arbeta under lunchrasten, eller att hoppa över den helt, till följd av detta. Det finns tecken som tyder på att synen på lunchrasten som ett tillfälle för återhämtning och vila har förändrats. På vissa håll har lunchrasten blivit ett laddat ämne, både för arbetsgivare och anställda, vilket kan få negativa konsekvenser både för individen själv och för arbetsplatsen. Lunchrasten är oftast en av de längsta rasterna under arbetsdagen och ger kontorsarbetare en chans att koppla bort tankar på sina arbetsuppgifter och kanske även möjlighet att lämna arbetsplatsen för ett miljöombyte och är därmed ett bra tillfälle för återhämtning. Syftet med studien var att undersöka upplevda stressnivåer hos kontorsarbetare efter tre olika typer av lunchsituationer (ledig lunch, arbetslunch inom kontorsbyggnaden samt arbetslunch utanför kontorsbyggnaden), och att med detta bidra med kunskap och information som kan vara till hjälp för både arbetsgivare och anställda i arbetet med att skapa en så gynnsam lunchsituation som möjligt, sett ur ett stressperspektiv. Stress mättes med Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales DASS-21. Resultatet tyder på att vilken typ av lunchsituation man haft påverkar den upplevda stressnivån efter lunch. / The level of job related stress is higher than ever. As a result, an increasing number of people choose to continue working during the lunch break or to skip it altogether. There are signs that the view of the lunch break as an opportunity for recovery and rest has changed. In some places, the lunch break has become a loaded topic, both for employers and employees, which can have negative consequences for both the individual and the workplace. The lunch break is usually one of the longest breaks during the working day and gives office workers a chance to disconnect thoughts on their work tasks and perhaps also the opportunity to leave the workplace for a change of environment and are thus a good opportunity for recovery. The purpose of the study was to investigate perceived stress levels in office workers after three different types of lunch situations (free lunch, work lunch in the office building and work lunch outside the office building) and with this contribute with knowledge and information that could be helpful to both employers and employees, in creating as favorable a lunch situation as possible, from a stress perspective. Stress was measured with Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales DASS-21. The result indicates that the type of lunch break you have had affects the perceived stress level after lunch.

Den teknologiska utvecklingen har bidragit till att arbete kan utföras under mer flexiblaformer. Syftet med studien var därför att undersöka om skillnader i upplevelsen avinformations och kommunikationsteknikens krav (IKT-krav) påverkade möjligheterna att dragränser mellan arbete och fritid. Metoden för datainsamling var kvantitativ och 31enhetschefer erbjöds möjlighet att delta i studien genom att besvara en webbenkät.Svarsfrekvensen uppgick till 58 % (N = 18). Studiens huvudresultat visade på signifikantaskillnader i förhållande till mental distansering från arbetet, där de som upplevde låga IKTkravskattade förmågan till mental distansering högre och de som upplevde höga IKT-kravskattade förmågan till mental distansering lägre. Det betyder att när kraven om tillgänglighetoch förväntningar på respons ökar på enhetscheferna, så är upplevelsen att förmågan tillmental distansering minskar. Utövad gränsstrategi visade inte på några signifikantaskillnader. Resultaten betraktas med försiktighet eftersom deltagarantalet är lågt. Någragenerella slutsatser bör inte dras men den praktiska relevansen är av värde i sammanhanget. / Technology development has contributed work to be performed under more flexible forms.The aim of the study was to investigate if information and communication technologydemands (ICT-demands) affected the ability to create boundaries between work and leisure.The method of collecting data was quantitative and 31 managers for different units in thehealth and care sector had the opportunity to participate by answer an websurvey. 58 %responded and the main result showed significant differences in order to psychologicaldetachment. Those who experienced low ICT-demands estimated higher ability topsychological detachment from work, and those who experienced high ICT-demandsestimated the ability to psychological detachment lower. This means that when demands likeavailability and response expectations increases among the managers, the sense of beingaway from work decreases. Boundary management on the other hand, does not show anysignificant differences in experience. The results are considered with caution as the numberof participants are low. Some general conclusions should not be drawn but the practicalrelevance is of value in the context.

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Completing tasks and reaching goals at work depletes employees’ energy, motivation, and attentional resources, resulting in negative stress and fatigue experiences. Taking microbreaks from work may help recover from work demands and replenish these resources by positively affecting employee well-being and performance. Therefore, this study seeks to understand the potential benefits of personal social media use as a specific microbreak activity that has become increasingly popular in recent years for employee recovery and productivity during working hours. More specifically, the engagement in social media microbreaks (SMMB) was hypothesized to positively predict both employees’ psychological detachment and perceived productivity. Cross-sectional survey data from 193 white-collar workers were collected and analyzed using linear regression. The results of this correlational study revealed that while engagement in SMMB activities positively predicted psychological detachment, perceived productivity was not found to be associated with SMMBs when holding employees’ general engagement in social media and socially desirable responding constant. Exploratory analyses showed that these relationships may be contingent on demographic, individual, and work (break) characteristics. These findings challenge the predominant negative connotation of using social media at work among employers and by contributing to a growing body of evidence suggesting the restorative nature of microbreaks. Yet, this research underlines the necessity for further research to elucidate the boundary conditions for effective (social media) microbreaks.

Psychological detachment occurs in the absence of work ruminations during non-work time and is a vital component in the recovery from work-related fatigue, avoiding burnout, performance decrement and detrimental health-outcomes. Overcommitment to work entails excessive job involvement and resembles poor detachment. Detachment and overcommitment are influenced by characteristics of the worker, their work, and their leisure time, but few studies have examined the effects of work or leisure demands on detachment and overcommitment. The current study examined the activity demands, detachment and overcommitment ratings of 51 workers and university students by having participants complete nine internet-based surveys over four weeks, and analysing data with a multilevel modelling approach. Rates of psychological detachment were found to be increased by physically demanding leisure activities, and decreased by mentally demanding work activities when leisure activities were mentally undemanding. In addition, detachment rates were higher when work activities were emotionally demanding and leisure activities emotionally undemanding, and when work activities were emotionally undemanding and leisure activities emotionally demanding. Overcommitment was found to be increased by leisure activities which were mentally demanding or emotionally demanding. Work ruminations during leisure time were therefore found to be influenced by work and leisure demands, with the manipulation of leisure demands thereby offering a method through with to diminish or buffer the detrimental impact of arduous work demands on the recovery from fatigue.

Abstract Date: 2017-06-05 Level: Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors:                             Nilsson, Isabella                  Ulriksson, Jennifer                                            920507                                930119 Title: Connection versus Recovery? Communication technology in the modern working life.  Tutor: Magnus Hoppe Keywords: Smartphones, Information and communication technology, Boundary control, Psychological detachment, Work-Life Conflict, Stress, Job-Demand-Control. Research question: How do managers handle the positive and negative effects of communication technology? Purpose: The aim of this study is to critically analyse how managers in Sweden regulate the use of communication technology and how they perceive the effects of communication technology on the modern workplace. This contributes to an understanding regarding whether communication technology should be handled based on individuals being either digitally connected or able to mentally recover from work. Method: This study is of a qualitative approach, where semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight managers who is/ or has been, in charge of personnel. The study has a deductive approach and thus has its base in theory. Theories have consequently been used in the construction of the interview questions as well as in the creation of Modell 1.0. Conclusion: Policies restricting the use of communication technology is not desirable according to managers, this is due to it being a prerequisite for the working life of 2017. ‘Connection’ and ‘recovery’ are not dichotomies for all employees. Policies can be of use for employees who need help managing the boundaries between work and family. However, to reach a solution regarding the negative effects of communication technology, efforts should be put into the organizational culture rather than policies, which is depicted in Model 2.0. In that way, negative effects of communication technology can be fought off without risking the positive effects. Communication technology should not be handled based on the assumption that individuals are either digitally connected or able to mentally recover from work.

Sufficient rest breaks are needed for optimal performance in traditional workplaces, but it is unclear how working with a loosely structured work schedule impacts recovery. Students have temporal flexibility and serve as a good proxy for all groups who work unstructured work schedules. Since most students and employees use the weekend to recover, this study investigated the relationship between recovery experiences (i.e., psychological detachment, relaxation, and mastery) over the weekend and the state of being recovered on the following Monday. Further, the relationship between the state of being recovered on Monday and weekday performance indicators (i.e., task performance and personal initiative) was investigated. Data was collected over three consecutive weeks from a cohort of first-year university students (N = 106) using a quantitative diary study design. This study administered seven surveys (i.e., a personal data survey once, a pre-weekend survey three times, and a postweekend survey three times). After three weeks, 66 participants (N = 66) had completed all the surveys at the person level, yielding 148 matched observations at the week-level. Multilevel modelling showed that weekend relaxation positively predicted the state of being recovered on Monday. Weekend psychological detachment and weekend mastery experiences did not predict the state of being recovered on Monday, and the state of being recovered did not predict weekly personal initiative or weekly task performance. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are presented, as are limitations and suggestions for future research.

<p> Although the occupational callings literature has largely focused on positive outcomes of living a calling, there are some emerging findings that suggest that callings may have a “negative” side as well. Drawing upon past studies within the callings literature, as well as upon theoretical perspectives such as self-regulation theory, identity theory, and the Effort-Recovery model, I tested a theoretical model to examine psychological detachment as a mechanism that accounts for the relationship between living a calling (also referred to as one’s calling intensity) and two well-being outcomes: sleep quality and burnout. Further, I built on previous work in the callings literature by examining the moderating impact of two individual differences (trait mindfulness, perfectionism) on the relationship between calling intensity and psychological detachment. Study hypotheses were tested using a two-wave study design with 358 emergency medical professionals. Results revealed that for called emergency medical professionals, trait mindfulness strengthened the negative relationship between calling intensity and psychological detachment, which had downstream negative effects on sleep quality. In addition, one facet of perfectionism, namely perfectionistic strivings, exacerbated the negative indirect effect of calling intensity on sleep quality via psychological detachment. Ultimately, this study contributed to the occupational callings literature by examining the impact of differential levels of trait mindfulness and perfectionism on employee well-being. Implications for enhancing employee well-being are discussed.</p>

Acknowledging the critical role that occupational factors play in employee health, researchers have tried to understand ways to reduce the harmful effects of work on employee health. As the process by which individuals recharge resources that have been depleted, recovery has been recognized as important due to its potential to mitigate the negative effects of work on employee well-being. Although the recovery literature has continued to grow, many questions remain unanswered. The purpose of the present study was to expand our knowledge of recovery by examining situational (job characteristics) and individual (trait guilt) predictors of recovery and investigating psychological attributes of off-job activities. An experience sampling design was used to understand relationships among focal variables at day level. Hypotheses were tested using the data from 99 full-time employees living with a full-time working spouse and at least one dependent. The results suggest that daily job characteristics serve an important role in recovery such that they relate to recovery experiences of psychological detachment and relaxation. However, job characteristics did not have significant relationships with the choice of off-job activities. With regard to subjective experiences of off-job activities, findings demonstrated considerable variance across individuals. Further, psychological attributes of off-job activities were found to relate to recovery experiences although the results were not always consistent with expectation. Next, little support was found for the moderating role of trait guilt in the relationship between job characteristics and off-job activities. Finally, consistent with previous research, recovery experiences related to better well-being outcomes.