1. Does One Day Make a Difference?
Investigating the Impact of Weekend
Length on Recovery Experiences
Patrick Horsman
Dr. E. Kevin Kelloway

2. Statutory Holidays in Canada
•Current Legislation: Family Day
•Stat differences across Canadian
Provinces:
• Alberta: 12
• Ontario: 10
• NB & NS: 7
•Major differences across Countries
/ cultures in Vacation attitudes

3. What about Family Day?
•Family day has been problematic
in Ontario.
•“Time off from work is at best, a
very brief respite from the stress
and, for many people, the
drudgery of work” (Barling, 2008)
•Impaired well-being can be
restored through vacation1
1 (Westman & Eden, 1997)

4. A Closer look
•Purpose: Examine the effects of a
statutory long weekend on the
individual
•Job related affective wellbeing
–JAWS (Van Katwyk, Fox, Spector, & Kelloway, 1999)
•Work Family Conflict
–WFC Scale (Kelloway, Gottlieb & Barham, 1999)
•Recovery Experiences
–REQ (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2007)

5. Recovery Experiences
•Work in the opposite direction of the
Strain Model1
•Consists of 4 underlying Processes2:
• Psychological Detachment
• Control
• Mastery Experiences
• Relaxation
1 (Meijman & Mulder, 1998); 2 (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2007)

6. Job-related Affective Wellbeing
•Positive and Negative emotional
reactions to the job.
–High or Low Arousal
–High or Low Pleasure
•JAWS Short version = 20 items
(Van Katwyk, Fox, Spector, & Kelloway, 1999)

7. Work/Family Conflict
•Conflicts Between Work and Family
•Distinguishes Direction
• Work Interfering with Family
• Family Interfering with Work
•And Nature
• Time Based
• Strain Based
(Kelloway, Gottlieb & Barham, 1999)

8. HYPOTHESES
• H1: Recovery Experiences will improve
during the long weekend.
• H2: Job-related affect will improve
during the long weekend.
• H3: Work Family Conflict will Improve
during the long weekend

9. Sun Mon Tues Weds Thurs Fri Sat
N=15
N=15
N=30
N=30
N=15
N=15

10. PARTICIPANTS
• Mean Age 37.9 (SD 11.65)
• 83.3% female
• 27/30 held a degree or diploma
• Average working hours/week =37.5
(SD 7.82)
• 46.7% had children
– only 4 people had legal dependents
• 4 engaged in eldercare of some form
(13.3%)

11. RESULTS - End of Long Weekend
•20% carried a work phone!
• Psychological Detachment!
• Non-Holders Significantly Higher
•t(28)=2.235 p=0.034

12. RESULTS – Multivariate Effects
Effect F df p Effect Size
Between Period .289 4, 25 .882 .044
Within Type 3.460** 4, 25 .022 .356
Time .970 4, 25 .442 .134
Type *Time 7.671*** 4, 25 <0.001 .556
Type*Period 2.545 4, 25 .065 .289
Time*Period 1.292 4, 25 .300 .171
Type*Time*Period 2.312 4, 25 .086 .270
Analyzed Using a 2*2*2 Repeated
Measures MANOVA

13. RESULTS – Univariate Effects
Effect Measure F df p Effect Size
Type Positive Affect 2.167 1, 28 .152 .072
Negative Affect 3.696 1, 28 .065 .117
Work-Family Conflict 4.349* 1, 28 .046 .134
Recovery 1.143 1, 28 .294 .039
Type*Time Positive Affect .342 1, 28 .564 .012
Negative Affect 6.293* 1, 28 .018 .184
Work-Family Conflict .511 1, 28 .481 .018
Recovery 17.71** 1, 28 <0.001 .387
Analyzed Using a 2*2*2 Repeated
Measures MANOVA

14. Main Effect - WFC
2
1.9
1.8
1.7
WFC Score
1.6
1.5
WFC
1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1
Regular Long

15. Interaction – Negative Affect
2.2
2.15 Regular Weekend
Long Weekend
Mean Negative Affect Scale Score
2.1
2.05
2
1.95
1.9
1.85
Pre-Weekend Post -Weekend
Axis Title

16. Interaction - Recovery
3.95
3.9
Regular Weekend
3.85
Long Weekend
Mean Recovery Scale Score
3.8
3.75
3.7
3.65
3.6
3.55
3.5
Pre-Weekend Post -Weekend

17. DISCUSSION
•Slight Amplification of WFC
–Why?
•Anticipatory Effect for Negative
Affect
–(Eden, 1990)
–Surge in activity before the weekend
•Recovery experiences significantly
improved during the long weekend
–Maybe 2 days is not enough

18. Limitations & Future Research
•Limitations
• Sample Size
• Number of Time periods
•Future Research
• Long weekend type – Family vs Not?
• Vacations across Cultures
• Does having less vacation time make
long weekends a novelty?
• Does productivity increase during the
Surge?

19. Questions?