What do Resources have to do with it? A Within-Person Examination of the Interplay Between Demands, Workaholism, and Burnout

Abstract

Existing research highlights associated constructs that involve sustained effort at work, such as job demands and workaholism, and how these can lead to negative outcomes such as burnout. Traditionally, these associations have been examined at the between-person level. Considering the dynamic nature of these constructs, it is pertinent that these associations be explored at the within-person level using experience sampling methodology. In my dissertation, I employed a daily diary design to examine the association between job demands and end of workday burnout through daily engagement in workaholic behaviors. I also explored the conditional function of four job- and personal-related resources on this proposed indirect effect. Data was collected through 17 surveys: two for determining eligible participants and gathering baseline data, and 15 administered over a five-day workweek. Results demonstrated that daily demands were positively related to both daily engagement in workaholic behaviors and end of workday burnout. However, daily engagement in workaholic behaviors did not explain this association at the overall level. Supplemental analyses revealed that the motivational and cognitive dimensions of workaholism explained the relationship between daily demands and end of workday burnout. Additionally, the four cross-level resources (autonomy, direct supervisor support, work colleague support, and core-self evaluations) did not function as the link among the three variables of interest. This suggests the need to explore the dynamic nature of these resources or to identify different ones that may be more theoretically and empirically related to the variables at hand.