Pleasant Anticipation of an After-Work Free-Time Activity and Work Engagement : Findings from Two Studies
Faculty/Professorship: | University of Bamberg ; Work and Organisational Psychology |
Author(s): | Seibel, Sebastian ![]() ![]() |
Title of the Journal: | Leisure sciences : an interdisciplinary journal |
ISSN: | 1521-0588, 0149-0400 |
Publisher Information: | London : Routledge |
Year of publication: | 2022 |
Language(s): | English |
Licence: | Creative Commons - CC BY - Attribution 4.0 International |
DOI: | 10.1080/01490400.2022.2074586 |
Abstract: | Previous research has shown that after-work free-time activities can enhance employees’ work engagement and positively affect their general well-being and health. This study investigates whether the anticipation of an after-work free-time activity boosts employees’ work engagement. Building on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, we assumed that employees’ pleasant anticipation of an after-work free-time activity positively relates to work engagement within and between persons. Furthermore, we examined the moderating role of recovery-related self-efficacy (RRSE). In Study 1, 85 employees completed three questionnaires (morning, noon, and afternoon) on one workday, and we expanded the design to a one-week diary in Study 2 (N ¼ 56). Findings from (hierarchical) linear modeling supported the positive relationship between pleasant anticipation and work engagement between but not within persons. Moreover, RRSE was not found to be a moderator. Overall, our study demonstrated that employees vary in their pleasant anticipation, partly explaining differences in work engagement. |
Keywords: | Conservation of resources theory, free-time activities, pleasant anticipation, recovery-related self- efficacy, work engagement |
Peer Reviewed: | Ja |
International Distribution: | Ja |
Type: | Article |
URI: | https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/54174 |
Release Date: | 3. June 2022 |

originated at the
University of Bamberg
University of Bamberg