Job characteristics and off-job activities as predictors of need for recovery, well-being, and fatigue.

TLDR

Need for recovery mediates the link between poor job characteristics (high demands, low control) and off‑job demands, and outcomes such as fatigue and reduced well‑being. Across two studies, high job demands, low control, and unfavorable off‑job activities increased need for recovery, which in turn was linked to lower well‑being and higher fatigue, mediating the effects of job characteristics and off‑job activities on these outcomes.

Abstract

Two empirical studies examined need for recovery (i.e., a person's desire to be temporarily relieved from demands in order to restore his or her resources) as a mediator in the relationship between poor job characteristics (high job demands, low job control) and high off-job demands, on the one hand, and fatigue and poor individual well-being, on the other hand. Multilevel data from a daily survey study in the health service sector (Study 1) showed that high job demands, low job control, and unfavorable off-job activities predicted a high need for recovery. Need for recovery in turn was negatively related to individual well-being. A large-scale survey with a representative sample of the Dutch working population (Study 2) confirmed these findings for fatigue. In both studies, need for recovery mediated the effects of job characteristics and off-job activities on fatigue and poor well-being, respectively.