The role of regulatory, affective, and motivational resources in the adverse spillover of sleep in the home domain to employee effectiveness in the work domain

Wladislaw Rivkin,Stefan Diestel,Claudia Sacramento,Jakob Stollberger

doi:10.1177/00187267211052469

Abstract

How does sleep affect employee effectiveness and what can employees do to remain effective on days with a lack of sleep? Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, our research expands on the cognitive (regulatory resources), affective (positive affect), and motivational (subjective vitality) mechanisms that link sleep and employee effectiveness. Furthermore, considering the crucial role of individuals’ beliefs in the spillover of sleep to work, we examine implicit theories about willpower – a mindset about the resource-draining nature of self-regulation – as a moderator of the positive relationship between sleep duration and employee effectiveness through regulatory resources availability. Two daily diary studies with a combined sample of Ntotal = 214 employees ( Ntotal = 1317 workdays) demonstrate the predominant role of cognitive- and affective resources in the day-specific relations between sleep at home to engagement, in-role, and extra-role performance at work. Moreover, the spillover of sleep to employee effectiveness via cognitive resources is stronger for individuals holding a limited as compared with a non-limited resource theory. This research not only expands our theoretical understanding of the psychological mechanisms that link sleep to employee effectiveness but also offers practical implications by highlighting the protective role of holding a non-limited resource theory on days with a lack of sleep.

Highlights

MethodBecause of the nested structure of our data (Level 1: Sleep duration, regulatory resource availability, and work engagement; Level 2: Theories about willpower), we used multilevel structure equation modeling (MSEM) to examine our hypotheses
Employees (Ntotal = 1317 workdays) demonstrate the predominant role of cognitive- and affective resources in the day-specific relations between sleep at home to engagement, in-role, and extra-role performance at work
We explain this spillover through the Conservation of Resources Theory (CoR) theory (Hobfoll et al, 2018), which is based on the assumption that individuals strive to obtain, retain, foster, and protect their resources, defined as anything that facilitates goal attainment (Halbesleben et al, 2014). This theory suggests that resource loss is a salient experience, which triggers the tendency to conserve and protect one’s remaining resources. Based on these theoretical arguments, we propose regulatory resource availability, positive affect, and subjective vitality, as mediators of the relation between sleep and employee effectiveness

Summary

Method

Because of the nested structure of our data (Level 1: Sleep duration, regulatory resource availability, and work engagement; Level 2: Theories about willpower), we used multilevel structure equation modeling (MSEM) to examine our hypotheses. This method allows for analyses on multiple levels and has advantages compared with traditional approaches to multilevel mediation analysis (e.g., multilevel modeling; Preacher et al, 2010). In line with our research model, we specified a model with implicit theories about willpower on the between- and perceived regulatory resource availability and work engagement on the within-person level.

Results

Gender

Discussion

Limitations and suggestions for future research

Conclusion