This document summarizes a master's thesis research project that examined the relationship between daily need for recovery, time spent in off-job activities, and daily well-being. The study used a day reconstruction method to survey 112 participants over 351 days. The results showed that higher daily workload leads to greater need for recovery, which leads to less time spent on social off-job activities. Additionally, need for recovery and time spent on physical activities interact to impact end-of-day well-being, such that physical activities may help restore well-being on high workload days with greater need for recovery. The conclusions discuss limitations and opportunities for future research to expand the models.

1. Need for Recovery, Off-Job Activities
and Well-being:
A Day Reconstruction Study
Master Thesis Research Project
Ivan V. Valev

2. 28-Aug-13 2Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational Psychology

3. Agenda
• Purpose of Research
• Theoretical Background
• Theoretical Model
• Sample
• Method
• Empirical Findings
• Empirical Model
• Conclusions
• Limitations & Future Research
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4. Well-Being: always en vogue
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5. Purpose of Research
• To examine the direct effect Daily Need for Recovery
has on time spent in specific off-job activities
• To investigate how Daily Need for Recovery moderates
the link between off-job activities and Daily Well-being
• To propose Psychological Need Satisfaction (PNS) as a
mediating mechanism explaining how engaging in
certain activities in off-job time affects Well-being
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6. Theoretical Background I
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Effort-Recovery (Meijman & Mulder, 1998)
• Investing effort at work is unavoidable, causing acute load reactions
• When off-job activities don’t occupy the same type of resources needed
for work, then these activities possess a recovery function
Conservation of Resources (Hobfoll, 2002)
• People strive to obtain, retain, protect, and build personal resources
• People attempt to restore their resource during after-work hours
Need for Recovery (Demerouti et al., 2009)
• Sense of urgency that people feel to take a break from job demands
when personal resources are exhausted
• Indicates an impaired state of well-being

7. Theoretical Background II
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Psychological Need Satisfaction (Deci & Ryan, 2000)
• People have the basic psychological needs (PNS) for Autonomy, Competence and
Relatedness
• Satisfying these needs is a growth-related activity, leading to such outcomes like
better health and well-being
Well-being (Shirom, 2004; Sonnentag, 2001)
• Vigor: cognitive liveliness & physical strength
• External Recovery: the extent to which people restore their personal resources
to pre-stressor levels during off-work time/activities
Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational Psychology

8. Theoretical Model
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Physical Strength
Low-effort Autonomy
Workload
Job
Characteristics
Need for Recovery
Time spent on
off-job
Activities
Well-being
at bedtime
Social
Well-being
prior to start of
workday
Self-rated
Performance
Psychological Need
Satisfaction
Relatedness Recovery
Physical
Competence
Cognitive Liveliness
Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational Psychology

9. Method
• Trait Questionnaire to establish baseline levels
• Daily Questionnaire to assess day levels
• Day Reconstruction to evaluate PNS at the activity level
Day Reconstruction Method: Kahneman et al. (2004)
 Ecologically valid method of accounting for daily intrapersonal variation
 Closer examination of momentary constructs experienced at the task level
 Accurate subjective evaluation of past events
 Limits recall bias & social desirability effects
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Daily Job Characteristics
& Workload
Daily Need for
Recovery
Well-being: start day PNS
Well-being: bedtime Performance
Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational Psychology

10. DRM: Example
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Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational
Psychology
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11. Sample
• 112 participants logged at least 1 day
87 multiple days 79 selected for analysis
– Mean age: 32.01 (SD = 11.19)
– Gender: 43 M, 62 W, 7 undisclosed
• 351 days reconstructed
• 2,556 logged activities overall
• Working hours, weekly average: 37.58 (SD = 13)
• Activities
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Social (daily average) 45.42min (SD = 90.23)
Physical (one weekly session) 80.55min
Low-effort (daily average) 68.66min (SD = 93.91)
Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational Psychology

12. Empirical Findings I
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H1: est = .20, ***
a
Scheme
*** = p < .001, n.s. = p > .05 , est = estimate
H2: n.s.

13. Empirical Findings II
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Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational
Psychology
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Scheme
Social Activities, *** = p < .001,
n.s. = p > .05, est = estimate
H4: est = -.39, ***
H3: n.s.
H4: n.s.
Time spent on
off-job
Activities

14. Empirical Findings III
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Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational
Psychology
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a a
Scheme
Physical Activities, *** = p < .001,
n.s. = p > .05 , est = estimate

15. Empirical Findings IV
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Psychology
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Scheme
Social Activities Physical Activities Low-effort Activities
n.s. = p > .05

16. Empirical Model
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Workload
Job
Characteristics
Need for Recovery
Time spent on
off-job
Activities
Well-being
at bedtime
Social
Well-being
prior to start of
workday
Self-rated
Performance
Psychological Need
Satisfaction
Physical
Low-effort
Relatedness
Competence
Autonomy
Recovery
Physical Strength
Cognitive Liveliness
H1: est. = .20, ***
H4: est = -.39, ***
H6 Low-effort: n.s.
H5 Social: n.s.
H5 Physical: est = -.57, ***
H7: n.s. H8: n.s. H9: n.s.
Moderation H’s
H10: n.s.
H10: n.s.
H3: n.s.
H4: n.s.
H2: n.s.
Mediation H’s

17. Conclusions
• High Daily Workload contributes to higher
Daily Need for Recovery
• High Daily Need for Recovery leads to less Time
spent on Social off-job activities
• Daily Need for Recovery and Time spent on
Physical Activities interact to impact Daily Well-
being at bedtime:
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18. Limitations & Future Research
• External recovery only: internal recovery to be
considered
• PNS: low Reliability (internal consistency issues)
• Dispositional characteristics not included: the
role of personality in the process?
• Participants’ Commitment
• Further Constructs:
– Relaxation Techniques (Behavioral)
– Detachment (Psychological)
– Sleep (Both?)
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19. Thank You for Your attention!
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Ivan V. Valev, MSc Organisational
Psychology
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Well-being!
What is the purpose
of being?