A Conservation of Resources Approach to Blackberry Use, Work-Family Conflict and Well-Being: Job Control and Psychological Detachment from Work as Potential Mediators

Abstract

This paper provides a comparison study of the relationships between using the Blackberry (BB) device for work purposes during non-work hours and (a) work-family conflict and (b) well-being, and the potential mediators of these relationships from a Conservation of Resources (COR) approach. Findings revealed that greater usage of the BB for work purposes during non-work hours was related to higher levels of work-family conflict. In particular greater frequency of use was related to an inability to psychologically detach from work, resulting in work-family conflict and low levels of well-being. Furthermore using the device for long periods was also related to an inability to psychologically detach from work, resulting in low levels of well-being. The findings did not support job control as a potential mediator; although support was found for the COR theory, as the mediating effect of detachment from work was greater than the mediating effect of job control on the relationship between BB use and work-family conflict, supporting that resource loss is more salient than resource gain. In light of these findings this paper proposes that organisations should aim to reduce the negative impact that using this device for work purposes during non-work hours has on employees, by either reducing the usage of the device or by ensuring employees are capable of handling the device and demands of the job.

Voluntary Work‐related Technology Use during Non‐work Time: A Narrative Synthesis of Empirical Research and Research Agenda

“…In line with previous research on psychological detachment (Sonnentag and Fritz 2015), failing to switch off during non-work time is further associated with reduced well-being (Derks et al 2014b;Richardson 2010;Ward and Steptoe-Warren 2014). In addition to affecting well-being, a lack of psychological detachment due to voluntary ICT use has also been associated with work-life conflict (Richardson and Thompson 2012;Ward and Steptoe-Warren 2014), where employees endeavour simultaneously to work and engage in non-work activities, such as dinner with family, but only give partial attention to the non-work activity, which is noticed and reproached by family members (Ladner 2008;Voydanoff 2005). We thus propose psychological detachment as another potential mechanism through which voluntary ICT use affects work-life conflict and, subsequently, well-being.…”

“…However, the decrease in perceived flexibility and control has also been reported by employees (Crowe and Middleton 2012;Quesenberry and Trauth 2005). Evidence in quantitative research was similarly mixed when examining perceived control as consequence of voluntary ICT use: whereas one study found partial support for the positive association between voluntary ICT use and perceived job control (Richardson and Thompson 2012), several studies did not find an association (Duxbury et al 1996;Richardson 2010;Ward and Steptoe-Warren 2014).…”

“…During non-work time, it is considered important for employee well-being to refrain from work-related activities and to detach psychologically from work to replenish psychophysiological resources that were depleted by work-related demands; a process referred to as recovery from work (Cropley and Zijlstra 2011;Meijman and Mulder 1998;Sonnentag 2001;Zijlstra et al 2014). Voluntary ICT use has been suggested to interfere with this recovery process: numerous quantitative studies have reported voluntary ICT use to be negatively associated with engagement in recovery activities (Derks et al 2014a) and psychological detachment (Barber and Jenkins 2014;Derks et al 2014b;Ohly and Latour 2014;Richardson 2010;Richardson and Thompson 2012;Ward and Steptoe-Warren 2014), usually examining a lack of recovery from work as outcome of voluntary ICT use. In several qualitative studies, employees have referred 8 S. Schlachter et al to the negative influence of voluntary ICT use in terms of a difficulty to disconnect mentally or an inability to switch off (Maliszewski 2013;Mazmanian et al 2006).…”

“…In several qualitative studies, employees have referred 8 S. Schlachter et al to the negative influence of voluntary ICT use in terms of a difficulty to disconnect mentally or an inability to switch off (Maliszewski 2013;Mazmanian et al 2006). The inhibition of psychological detachment was, in turn, associated with work-life conflict (Richardson and Thompson 2012; Ward and SteptoeWarren 2014) and reduced psychological well-being (Derks et al 2014b;Mazmanian et al 2006;Richardson 2010;Ward and Steptoe-Warren 2014).…”

The effect of performance evaluation schemes on predicted transfer prices: Do leadership tone and perceived fairness concerns matter?

“…Of the 110 participants that were included in the final dataset, 48.2% were international 3 The outlier-labeling rule can be used to identify outliers for normal-distribution data. Prior studies have relied on this technique to identify outliers (Huian, 2015;Ward and Steptoe-Warren, 2013). The outlier-labeling rule is based on finding the difference between the first and third quartile of the distribution and multiplying it by a parameter, g, which is equal to 2.2 (see Hoaglin et al, 1986;Hoaglin and Iglewicz, 1987).…”