Understanding how employees unwind after work : expanding the construct of "recovery"

Abstract

Recovery experiences (e.g., psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, control) have been proposed to work in opposition of the strain process and help employees to unwind and restore their resources (Sonnentag & Bayer, 2005). Although we are beginning to understand how these experiences may help workers to recuperate from job demands, there are still many questions about the construct and the efficacy of recovery that remain to be examined. Therefore, the goals of this program of research were to: (1) explore and potentially expand the domain of recovery experiences; (2) examine the relationship between recovery experiences and related constructs (i.e., coping, strain, burnout, engagement, positive mood); (3) examine the influence of a work-life balance intervention on recovery experiences; and (4) assess whether recovery experiences mediate the impact of the work-life balance intervention on strain and motivational outcomes. This program of research consisted of three studies: Study 1 involved qualitative scale development; Study 2 involved cross-sectional survey data collection; and Study 3 involved the implementation of a recovery intervention and longitudinal survey data collection (i.e., pre-treatment and post-treatment). In Study 1, several recovery experiences (i.e., physical activity, social affiliation, hope/optimism, fun/humour, self-reward) in addition to the original four experiences, were identified through consultation with subject matter experts as being important for recuperation from work stress. New items were created to tap into each of these additional experiences. In Study 2, recovery items factored into the ten hypothesized subscales (i.e., four original recovery experiences and six new recovery experiences). The new recovery experiences demonstrated incremental validity, above and beyond the existing recovery experiences, in the prediction of employee well-being outcomes. Recovery experiences were also distinct from conceptualizations of coping and demonstrated incremental validity, above and beyond coping scales, in the prediction of employee well-being outcomes. In line with job-demands resources theory, recovery experiences tended to be more strongly related to positive mood than to strain outcomes. In Study 3, recovery experiences were positively influenced by a 12-week work-life balance intervention and recovery partially mediated the effects of the intervention on employee strain. This series of studies suggests that recovery is an important construct in occupational health psychology and warrant further empirical attention.