The ups and downs of the week: A person-centered approach to the relationship between time pressure trajectories and well-being.

Abstract

This study extends previous research on time pressure and well-being by investigating the relevance of distinct time pressure trajectories for indicators of well-being at the end of the working week and start of the next week. Drawing on the Effort-Recovery Model and Conservation of Resources theory, we applied latent class growth analyses and a manual stepwise Bolck-Croon-Hagenaar approach to examine (a) which latent classes of time pressure trajectories occur for employees and (b) how these classes differ from each other regarding indicators of well-being at the end of the working week and the following Monday. Using data on 254 employees in a daily diary study across five consecutive workdays, the findings revealed a four-class solution characterized by qualitatively different time pressure trajectories: a low stable time pressure trajectory and three trajectories with changing time pressure levels (high unstable, medium unstable, and increasing unstable time pressure). Further, the trajectories exhibited class-specific differences in Friday evening and Monday morning positive valence, calmness, and energetic arousal, in addition to Friday night sleep quality. The results indicated that not only did the level of time pressure matter regarding well-being but also the temporal pattern of change across one working week. The present article provides a first step towards understanding different temporal dynamics of time pressure and their relationship to well-being. Additionally, the findings are discussed from the perspective of resource loss and gain, providing practical recommendations for job design, leadership behavior, as well as individual coping with job demands. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).