Caught in a crossfire: analysing employees’ emotional exhaustion experiences amid blurring work-life boundaries

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many employees to work from home (WFH) and more heavily rely on technology to conduct work, calling for further empirical investigation into the effects of work-related technology and the WFH environment on employee wellbeing. This study investigates the relationship between work-related email (WRE) use during nonwork hours and emotional exhaustion in a sample of U.S. employees required to WFH during the pandemic, with results suggesting that psychological detachment and work-family conflict (WFC) play important roles in this relationship. Furthermore, telepressure (i.e., the preoccupation/urge to promptly respond to WRE) moderated the relationship between WRE use and psychological detachment, which offers insight into the psychological processes behind WRE use after hours. Direct and indirect effects between WRE use and emotional exhaustion were also compared to effects generated using data from an independent sample of pre-pandemic in-office employees to determine whether the pandemic context has amplified the observed relationships. Results show that all direct/indirect effects, except for the effect of WRE use after hours on psychological detachment, were stronger in those required to WFH. These findings shed light onto the similarities and differences between the current and pre-pandemic work landscapes and have important implications for lawmakers, organizational leaders, and employees.

The current global outbreak caused by COVID-19 has produced a unique situation with severe health and financial consequences. The fast and quick global impact called for an immediate response. A key public health action was the decision to amend the law to allow employees to work from home (WFH) whenever it was possible. In response to public health restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19, organizations quickly switched to WFH without fully comprehending the effects of continued WFH on mental and physical health. Working from anywhere and at any time has made the separation between business and personal life more difficult. These modifications may cause employees' workdays to be longer and to experience greater work-life conflict. Overwork and work addiction provide a greater risk to the public's health and can harm various facets of mental and physical health, such as depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties. There hasn't been much research on the underlying processes that link workaholism to poor mental health, especially among Indian academics. There is a rise in the number of people who are worried about their mental health in academic settings. The primary purpose of this study is to determine whether academicians in India can potentially have a healthy work-family balance, which may mitigate the negative impacts of workaholism and poor mental health especially due to the Work from Home system. A population-based study was conducted on academicians (n = 456) at private and public universities in Delhi NCR, India. Workaholism, work-family balance, and mental health difficulties were all measured using self-reported scales in the study. By using path analysis, the proposed mediation model was evaluated. The survey responses had an accuracy rate of 80%. Based on the conceptual research framework, PLS-SEM path modeling is used to find the causal connection between the indicators and latent components. The findings indicated that workaholism has been associated with mental health in two different ways: directly and through work-family balance. The path analysis found a statistically significant relationship between work from home and mental health through workaholism and work-family balance. Increased levels of anxiety, depression, stress, headaches, exhaustion, and reduced job satisfaction were some of the mental health consequences of Work from Home. This study provides real-world guidance to human resource managers on how to prioritize composite-level interventions at all levels of the university to create highly satisfied employees, provide a good working environment, and improve employees' mental health. Many researches have been done on the relationship between work-from-home and employee mental health, but relatively few have looked at how work-life balance and workaholism play a role in how work-from-home affects employees' mental health. This study fills a need in the academic and practitioner literature by investigating the relationship between work-from-home from home and employee mental health as well as the mediating function of work-family balance and workaholism with regard to Indian higher education institutions.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the workaholism on work–family conflict via the mediator of psychological detachment from work and the moderator of family-supportive supervisor behavior.Design/methodology/approachTo avoid common method bias, the authors adopted a three-wave data collection with a one-month lagged design. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed and 322 usable questionnaires were collected. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was applied to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsFindings demonstrated that workaholism is positively related to work–family conflict; psychological detachment from work mediates the relationship between workaholism and work–family conflict. Moreover, family-supportive supervisor behavior moderates the relationship between workaholism and work–family conflict and between workaholism and psychological detachment from work, respectively. Finally, family-supportive supervisor behavior moderates the indirect effect of workaholism and work–family conflict via psychological detachment from work, such that the indirect effect was weaker when family-supportive supervisor behavior was high.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that it is necessary for organizations to be responsible for employee well-being in different domains because the impact of workaholism on physical and mental health may bring unexpected consequences because of the lack of recovery and the loss of resources. This study not only shows the importance for individuals to look for ways to disengage from workplace but addresses the significance of supervisory support from organizational aspects.Originality/valueThis study includes psychological detachment from work as mediator and family-supportive supervisor behavior as moderator to investigate the moderated mediation relationship in the current highly demanding workplace. By applying conservation of resource and role scarcity hypothesis regarding individual resource allocation, the results may shed lights on facilitating individuals distancing from obsessively and excessively working mentality and behaviors that further lessen incompatibility in both work and family domains.

Consequences of Work–Family Conflict

This study examines how workplace telepressure affects work-family conflict (WFC) among employees in the private school sector of Islamabad, with psychological detachment acting as a mediator. Data were collected through a survey of 315 employees in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and analyzed using AMOS and SPSS software. The results reveal a significant positive correlation between workplace telepressure and work-family conflict (b = 0.10, p < 0.01), indicating that employees experiencing high levels of telepressure struggle to disconnect from work, leading to conflict between work and family responsibilities. Psychological detachment negatively mediated this relationship (b = -0.06, p < 0.01), suggesting that the inability to detach from work mentally exacerbates the work-family conflict. The findings contribute to the literature by validating the Work-Family Spillover Theory and highlighting the role of psychological detachment in mitigating the negative impact of telepressure. These results have practical implications for organizational policies to reduce work-family conflict by fostering better recovery and detachment from work. Keywords: Telepressure, work-family conflict, role conflict, work-life balance, work-family spillover, conflict mediation, organizational conflict resolution, psychological detachment, recovery from work stress, work-related stress management, telecommuting stress, remote work, boundary management, family-supportive work environments, organizational support for well-being, stress recovery, psychological well-being, telework challenges, work-life integration, virtual teams, off-hours detachment, remote work stressors, employee well-being, coping mechanisms in remote work.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 disease has changed people’s work and income. While recent evidence has documented the adverse impact of these changes on mental health outcomes, most research is focused on frontline healthcare workers and the reported association between income loss and mental health comes from high-income countries. In this study we examine the impact of changes in working conditions and income loss related to the COVID-19 lockdown on workers’ mental health in Argentina. We also explore the role of psychological detachment from work and work-family interaction in mental health.MethodsA total of 1049 participants aged between 18 and 65 who were working before the national lockdown in March 2020 were recruited using a national random telephone survey. Work conditions included: working at the usual workplace during the pandemic, working from home with flexible or fixed schedules, and being unemployed or unable to work due to the pandemic. Measures of financial hardship included income loss and self-reported financial problems related to the outbreak. Work-family interface included measures of work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC). Mental health outcomes included burnout, life satisfaction, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Data were collected in October 2020.ResultsHome-based telework under fixed schedules and unemployment impact negatively on mental health. Income loss and particularly self-reported financial problems were also associated with deterioration of mental health. More than half of the participants reported financial problems, and those who became unemployed during the pandemic experienced more often financial problems. Finally, psychological detachment from work positively influenced mental health; WFC and FWC were found to negatively impact on mental health.ConclusionsCountries’ policies should focus on supporting workers facing economic hardships and unemployment to ameliorate the COVID-19’ negative impact on mental health. Organisations can protect employees’ mental health by actively encouraging psychological detachment from work and by help managing work-family interface. Longitudinal studies are needed to more thoroughly assess the long-term impact of the COVID-19-related changes in work and economic turndown on mental health issues.

After experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, the status and mechanisms of leadership, and the challenges for medical workers in terms of family–work conflicts, have caused widespread concern. In the post-pandemic era, based on role theory and the stressor-detachment model, this paper seeks to break the “black box” of negative effects that can be caused by leadership, research the mechanism and boundary conditions of those negative effects, and explore factors to reduce those negative effects. We recruited 1,010 Chinese medical workers fighting COVID-19 on the frontline. Our study results showed that there was a significant negative correlation between empowering leadership and work–family conflict, and this relationship was completely mediated by role stress, while psychological detachment moderated the relationship between role stress and work–family conflict. Moreover, psychological detachment moderated the mediating effect of empowering leadership on work–family conflict through role stress. Therefore, higher levels of psychological detachment were less conducive to medical workers' family–work conflict. This study has important theoretical significance and practical value for revealing the negative effects and mechanisms of empowering leadership and for medical workers to better deal with work–family relations.

The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of job burnout on deluxe hotel female chefs’ psychological detachment and work-family conflict. The hypothesized relationships in the model were simultaneously tested using structural equation model (SEM). Developed questionnaires were collected from 250 employees working in ten deluxe hotels located in Seoul and the Seoul metropolitan area. A total of 214 survey responses were used for statistical analysis, excluding 36 insincere respondents. The proposed model provides an adequate fit to the data, χ2=260.931, df=104(p<.000), χ2/df=2.509, GFI=.887, AGFI=.834, NFI=.911, CFI=.944, RMR=.0980 and RMSEA=.084. Results were as followed. First, it was found that emotional exhaustion, cynicism and reduces personal accomplishment had a significant positive (+) effect on psychological detachment. Second it was investigated the emotional exhaustion and cynicism had a significant positive (+) effect on work-family conflict. Third, psychological detachment had a significant positive (+) effect on work-family conflict. The limitations of the current study and recommendations for further research were explained as well.

Purpose This study examines how psychological detachment from work relates to work–family balance and how this relationship is moderated by the type of work model (remote, hybrid and on-site) and employees’ perceived fit with their work modality. Design/methodology/approach Based on the conservation of resources theory, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 373 Portuguese employees across various sectors. Validated measures of psychological detachment, perceived fit and work–family balance were used. Moderation effects were tested using PROCESS in SPSS. Findings Results show that psychological detachment significantly enhances work–family balance. Remote and hybrid work models are associated with higher levels of work–family balance than on-site work, although no significant differences were found in detachment levels across work models. Crucially, the perceived fit of the work model moderated the relationship: the positive effect of detachment was stronger when employees perceived the work model as adequate for their needs. Practical implications Organisations should support psychological recovery by creating conditions that promote detachment in all work models. Ensuring a good fit between employees and their work arrangements can amplify the benefits of detachment, improving well-being and reducing work–family conflict. Originality/value This study extends the understanding of how flexible work environments impact psychological recovery and highlights the role of perceived work model fit as a critical contextual resource. Findings offer practical insights for improving employee well-being in diverse work settings.

Conservation of resources (COR) theory proposes that mistreatment by customers (termed “customer mistreatment”) can deplete employees’ resources, lessen their ability to regulate their behaviors, and result in them engaging in customer-directed deviant behavior. However, COR has been criticized for its lack of precision regarding how this process unfolds. Integrating the person-situation interactionist perspective with COR theory, the present paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of COR theory by explicating how individual characteristics and work context—namely, psychological detachment and supervisory unfairness—can combine to attenuate/exacerbate the relationship between customer mistreatment and employees’ customer-directed deviant behavior. Using a multilevel field study with 1,092 daily-based surveys among 157 Korean call-center representatives, our results show that frontline employees’ emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between customer mistreatment and customer-directed deviant behavior that occurs on the next working day. When faced with customer mistreatment, employees with lower (vs. higher) psychological detachment were more likely to be emotionally exhausted and engage in customer-directed deviant behavior on the next working day. Moreover, their emotional exhaustion predicted customer-directed deviant behavior more so when their supervisors treated them unfairly (vs. fairly). Taken together, the results show that the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion was strongest among employees with low (vs. high) psychological detachment and who reported more (vs. less) supervisory unfairness. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Do Islamic work ethics matter? Impact of aversive leadership on employees’ emotional and psychological health through the lens of conservation of resource theory

PurposeTo examine the impact of using work-related information and communication technology (ICT) during off-job hours on employees' emotional exhaustion and to elucidate the role of psychological detachment (PD) and positive work reflection (PWR). Additionally, the study investigated the influence of the frequency of remote work on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was conducted using a three-wave online survey with 507 full-time employees consisting of 170 non-remote workers, 75, 77, 63, 61, and 61 remote workers for one to five days weekly, respectively.FindingsWork-related ICT use during off-job hours inhibited PD and encouraged PWR, exacerbating emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, remote work frequency promotes boundary crossing and moderates the relationship between PWR and emotional exhaustion.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by highlighting the complex interplay between boundary crossing, coping strategies, and emotional exhaustion in remote work. It highlights the importance of fostering PD and minimizing boundary crossing to promote employees’ well-being in increasingly flexible work environments.

We explored the chain mediating role of psychological detachment and work–family conflict in the relationship between workplace fear of missing out (FOMO) and job burnout. Participants comprised 324 Chinese employees who completed online surveys at four time points. Results were as follows: (a) workplace FOMO was negatively correlated with psychological detachment and positively correlated with work–family conflict and job burnout, (b) psychological detachment and work–family conflict played a mediating role in the relationship between workplace FOMO and job burnout, and (c) psychological detachment and work–family conflict played a chain mediating role in the relationship between workplace FOMO and job burnout. The multiple mediating mechanisms by which workplace FOMO affects job burnout point to its harmful effects and indicate a need to reduce its potential impact on job burnout by increasing employees' psychological detachment and reducing their work–family conflict levels.

Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, we aimed to investigate whether leisure crafting reduces emotional exhaustion by improving sleep quality and strengthening psychological detachment from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We posited that sleep quality and psychological detachment from the COVID-19 pandemic mediate the negative relationship between leisure crafting and emotional exhaustion. We carried out a two-wave longitudinal study among a group of individuals (N=216) from Wuhan, China. We measured leisure crafting, sleep quality, and psychological detachment from the COVID-19 pandemic at Time 1 and emotional exhaustion two months later at Time 2. We discovered that leisure crafting reduced emotional exhaustion at home by improving sleep quality and increasing psychological detachment from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of this article, we discuss theoretical and practical implications, research limitations, and directions for future research.

Although a number of studies have examined the effects of abusive supervision variability, which refers to leaders engaging in differential abuse toward different subordinates within the team on work-related outcomes, scant research has investigated whether and how abusive supervision variability affects non-work outcomes. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the current study explores how abusive supervision variability affects work-family conflict through psychological detachment, as well as the moderating role of optimism. Results based on a survey of 260 employees from nine companies show that abusive supervision variability is significantly and positively related to work-family conflict. Psychological detachment mediates the effect of abusive supervision variability on work-family conflict. Optimism moderates the relationship between abusive supervision variability and psychological detachment and the indirect effects of abusive supervision variability on work-family conflict through psychological detachment. This study extends the literature on the effects of abusive supervision variability and provides several important practical implications.