“Dear Manager, now I know what you expect”: Examining availability ambiguity in two studies

Abstract

In the present study, we introduce the concept of availability ambiguity and propose that it extends our understanding of the consequences of availability expectations after hours beyond the absolute level perceived by employees. Thus, we investigated how the level and ambiguity of supervisors’ availability expectations contribute to ICT communication satisfaction, detachment, work-home interference, and exhaustion. Furthermore, we test the effectiveness of a training for supervisors aimed at encouraging them to be transparent about their availability expectations by making explicit agreements with their team. In cross-sectional Study 1, data from 235 individuals showed that availability ambiguity predicted detachment and work-home interference beyond the effect of availability expectations. This finding underscores the need for clear agreements, which was addressed in an intervention tested in the two-wave Study 2. Results from 62 subordinates at T1 and 33 at T2 belonging to 17 different supervisors who participated in the training indicated an increase in explicit agreements and a decrease in availability ambiguity, but no decrease in levels of availability expectations or emotional exhaustion and no increase in ICT communication satisfaction, detachment, or work-life balance. Taken together, our studies show that the ambiguity of availability expectations is a unique stressor that needs to be and can be targeted.