Selection, Optimization, and Compensation Strategies and Within-Day Changes in Occupational Well-Being

Abstract

According to the selection, optimization, compensation (SOC) model, employees can actively influence their well-being. However, associations could differ at the within- and between-person levels. Considering SOC strategies as dynamic processes that unfold during a workday, we hypothesized that selection-focused strategies are related to decreased work fatigue, whereas pursuit-focused strategies are related to increased work fatigue at the end of the work day. We further hypothesized that preference-based strategies are related to increased job satisfaction, whereas loss-based strategies are related to decreased job satisfaction at the end of a workday. We tested these hypotheses with a sample of 244 employees who completed twice-daily measurements over ten consecutive work days. Day-level results of multi-level analyses showed that, controlling for morning levels of workload and autonomy, loss-based selection was positively related to changes in work fatigue. Optimization and compensation were positively related to changes in job satisfaction, whereas loss-based selection was negatively related to changes in job satisfaction. At the person-level, loss-based selection was associated with higher work fatigue, and optimization with higher job satisfaction. In supplemental analyses, we found little evidence for reversed relationships. Results suggest that links exist between SOC strategies and within-day changes in occupational well-being, yet the direction of effects differs between strategies.