Work

My job characteristics make me procrastinate or not: An emotional perspective

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Workplace procrastination is a prevalent phenomenon that significantly impacts employee productivity and organizational competitiveness. Drawing on cognitive–motivational–relational theory, this study adopts an emotional perspective to investigate how and when job characteristics (i.e. hindrance job demands, challenge job demands and job resources) impact employees' workplace procrastination in distinct ways. We suggest that both hindrance and challenge demands may evoke fear of tasks, eliciting an action tendency of escape and avoidance, thus indirectly leading to procrastination. Notably, challenge demands may exhibit a dual effect by simultaneously enhancing interest in tasks with an action tendency of exploration, thus negatively and indirectly influencing procrastination. Job resources may generate joy about tasks, fostering an action tendency of free activation, thereby indirectly reducing procrastination. We further investigate how psychological capital, which largely shapes employees' appraisal of job characteristics, may alter the above relationships. We conducted two studies to examine our hypotheses and delve into the potential reversed relationships between job characteristics and procrastination. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Source: Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology

DOI: 10.1111/joop.12551

Authors: Yangxin Wang, Hong Zhang, Zhen Wang

Institutions: Central South University, Lingnan University, Renmin University of China

Language: English

Topic: Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior

Subfield: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China