Staying connected and feeling less exhausted: The autonomy benefits of after‐hour connectivity

Abstract

This study investigates the longitudinal relationship between after-hour connectivity, autonomy and exhaustion. In doing so, we seek to illuminate the role of individuals' connectivity to work in relation to their autonomy and well-being. We juxtapose different effective directions of the relationship between connectivity and autonomy to shed light on whether and how connectivity and autonomy are related to employees' well-being. This is important because research has both often problematized after-hour connectivity and suggested that connectivity is an inherent feature of contemporary workplaces that may benefit employees. In this study, we hypothesize that after-hour connectivity increases autonomy and that the autonomy to work anywhere and anytime leads to working everywhere all the time, thus increasing after-hour connectivity. We further shed light on whether this behaviour has negative consequences for employees' well-being or not. The three-wave survey study (N = 192) demonstrates that after-hour connectivity may operate as a resource that potentially empowers employees (increases autonomy). The freedom to work anytime, anywhere, does not itself increase after-hour connectivity. Notably, we demonstrate that connectivity is negatively related to emotional exhaustion, through increased autonomy.

Different Results from Varied Angles: The Positive Impact of Work Connectivity Behavior After-Hours on Work Engagement

“…Work connectivity behavior after-hours refers to the use of ICTs or devices by employees to engage in work activities or contact colleagues during non-work hours [28]. This is a work behavior that employees adopt to complete their work tasks during nonworking time [29]. Its crucial role is to enable employees to accomplish work tasks through ICTs during non-working hours [28].…”

“…Meanwhile, previous studies have found that work connectivity behavior after-hours contributes to an increase in employees' role-integration capabilities, which, in turn, affects their psychological state at work [31]. For example, the research conducted by Van Zoonen et al (2023) [29] showed that work connectivity behavior after-hours can help alleviate employee exhaustion. It can be seen that work connectivity behavior after-hours not only improves the performance of employees but also promotes a positive psychological state at work (e.g., engagement and satisfaction).…”

“…First, this study reveals the positive impact and mechanisms of work connectivity behavior afterhours on work engagement based on the JD-R model, which provides a new explanatory perspective for understanding the inconsistent conclusions of work connectivity behavior after-hours. Previous studies have examined the effects of work connectivity behavior afterhours on work-family balance [72], work performance [11], and employee psychological disengagement [29], etc. These studies suggested that work connectivity behavior afterhours may have both positive and negative effects [8], leading to divergent conclusions on work connectivity behavior after-hours.…”

“…Third, this study expands on the role of the JD-R model of work connectivity behavior after-hours and the literature on the buffering hypothesis of the JD-R model. Existing research has focused excessively on the "dual pathway" hypothesis of the JD-R model and has extensively discussed the positive or negative effects of work characteristics such as work connectivity behavior after-hours [29,74]. However, the neglect of the buffering hypothesis of the JD-R model has led to a biased understanding of work connectivity behavior after-hours and has also limited our understanding of the JD-R model.…”