Workflow Interruptions and Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Polychronicity

Abstract

Workflow interruptions are one of the most commonly experienced stressors at work. This research expands existing literature on workflow interruptions by establishing a causal relation between workflow interruptions and central employee work outcomes (i.e., emotional exhaustion and performance) in an experimental study in a laboratory setting. Furthermore, in a field study, we apply a within-person approach by investigating the negative association between daily workflow interruptions and daily well-being. Furthermore, we introduce polychronicity (the trait-like preference of a person to deal with several activities at the same time) as a buffering factor in this relationship. Results of our experimental laboratory study (Study 1, N = 65) confirmed the expected causal relation between workflow interruptions and lower levels of both performance and well-being. Results of a diary study with knowledge workers over five consecutive working days (Study 2, N = 149, 644 daily observations) showed that on days on which participants experienced a large amount of workflow interruptions they reported lower levels of satisfaction with their performance and higher levels of emotional exhaustion on that same day. Furthermore, polychronicity tended to moderate the positive association between interruptions and emotional exhaustion. Besides, polychronicity significantly moderated the negative association between daily interruptions and daily satisfaction with participants’ own performance in a way that for persons generally ranking high on polychronicity, this negative association was dissolved.