Zeigarnik’s sleepless nights: How unfinished tasks at the end of the week impair employee sleep on the weekend through rumination

Syrek, Christine J.; Weigelt, Oliver; Peifer, Corinna; Antoni, Conny H.

doi:10.1037/ocp0000031

Cited by 187Sleep and related disordersWorkaholism, burnout, and well-beingSleep and Work-Related Fatigue

Zeigarnik’s sleepless nights: How unfinished tasks at the end of the week impair employee sleep on the weekend through rumination

Syrek, Christine J., Weigelt, Oliver, Peifer, Corinna, Antoni, Conny H.·2017·Journal of Occupational Health Psychology

DOI 10.1037/ocp0000031

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Abstract

It is almost common sense that work stress leads to sleep impairment, but the question of how work-related stressors impair employee sleep remains open. This study focuses on the role of rumination as the underlying mechanism for sleep impairment. Specifically, the authors contribute to recent research differentiating affective rumination from problem-solving pondering and examine the impact of both forms of rumination on the stressor-sleep relationship. Following theories of rumination and the Zeigarnik effect, they focus on unfinished tasks as a key onset for rumination. Unfinished tasks have received much research attention in the memory context but have been neglected as a stressor that can impact recovery. Drawing on theory, differential indirect links between unfinished tasks and sleep through affective rumination versus problem-solving pondering are examined. Further, the number of unfinished tasks extending over a 3-month period may impair employee sleep more than unfinished tasks within the acute phase. In this study, intraindividual links in a diary study supplemented by depicting between-person effects of unfinished tasks over a period of 3 months are examined. The authors matched 357 Friday and Monday observations over a 12-week interval for 59 employees. The results of the multilevel analysis suggest that the within-person relationship between unfinished tasks and sleep is mediated by affective rumination. Although problem-solving pondering was negatively related…

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Employees are likely to ruminate about work during the weekend when they have unfinished tasks.
“Employees are therefore likely to ruminate about work during the weekend when they have unfinished tasks [12]”
From Ovsiankina's Great Relief: How Supplemental Work during the Weekend May Contribute to Recovery in the Face of Unfinished Tasks (2017) · cites this paper as [12]
Unfinished tasks at the end of the work week are associated with higher levels of perseverative thoughts about work during leisure time.
“Researchers in the domain of occupational stress and recovery have recently revealed that unattained goals at the end of the work day [11] or unfinished tasks at the end of the work week [1,12] are associated with higher levels of perseverative thoughts about work during leisure time, in terms of either lower levels of psychological detachment and higher levels of affective rumination or problem-”
From Ovsiankina's Great Relief: How Supplemental Work during the Weekend May Contribute to Recovery in the Face of Unfinished Tasks (2017) · cites this paper as [12]
The feeling of relief that accompanies the perception of progress might trigger the perception of having more control over the subsequent time off work.
“The feeling of relief that accompanies the perception of progress [12,13] might trigger the perception of having more control over the subsequent time off work.”
From Ovsiankina's Great Relief: How Supplemental Work during the Weekend May Contribute to Recovery in the Face of Unfinished Tasks (2017) · cites this paper as [12]
Unfinished tasks are associated with inner tension and rumination.
“Throughout this manuscript, we have argued that unfinished tasks are associated with inner tension and rumination [2,12,13].”
From Ovsiankina's Great Relief: How Supplemental Work during the Weekend May Contribute to Recovery in the Face of Unfinished Tasks (2017) · cites this paper as [12]

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Crain, T. L., Brossoit, R. M., & Fisher, G. G. (2017) · Journal of Business and Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10869-017-9521-x · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Testing cross‐lagged relationships between work‐related rumination and well‐being at work in a three‐wave longitudinal study across 1 and 2 years
Kinnunen, U. M., Feldt, T., & de Bloom, J. (2019) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12256 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
“Job stressors are closely related to work-related rumination (Kinnunen et al., 2017; Syrek et al., 2017).”
BackgroundMethod
Thinking About Thinking About Work: A Meta-Analysis of Off-Job Positive and Negative Work-Related Thoughts
Jimenez, W. P., Hu, X., & Xu, X. V. (2021) · Journal of Business and Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10869-021-09742-7 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Finding peace of mind when there still is so much left undone—A diary study on how job stress, competence need satisfaction, and proactive work behavior contribute to work-related rumination during the weekend.
Weigelt, O., Syrek, C. J., Schmitt, A., & Urbach, T. (2018) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/ocp0000117 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
“Rumination is particularly likely to occur during the weekend, as the weekend usually covers more than a couple of hours in which work cannot be resumed (Syrek et al., 2017).”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialSelf-citation
The Association between Work-Related Rumination and Heart Rate Variability: A Field Study
Cropley, M., Plans, D., Morelli, D., Sütterlin, S., Inceoglu, I., Thomas, G., & Chu, C. (2017) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00027 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
“For example, a worker may ruminate about an important project deadline, an unfinished task, stress over a future meeting, or they may perseverate about something negative that was said to them by their line manager or colleague at work (Cropley and Millward, 2009; Syrek et al., 2016).”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
The energy and identification continua of burnout and work engagement: Developmental profiles over eight years
Mäkikangas, A., Hyvönen, K., & Feldt, T. (2017) · Burnout Research · doi:10.1016/j.burn.2017.04.002 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Managing the Crisis: How COVID‐19 Demands Interact with Agile Project Management in Predicting Employee Exhaustion
Koch, J., & Schermuly, C. C. (2021) · British Journal of Management · doi:10.1111/1467-8551.12536 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Long-term profiles of work-related rumination associated with leadership, job demands, and exhaustion: A three-wave study
Perko, K., Kinnunen, U. M., & Feldt, T. (2017) · Work & Stress · doi:10.1080/02678373.2017.1330835 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“recent studies (Smit & Barber, 2016; Syrek et al., 2017) support the view that ruminative thoughts are triggered by unattained goals (Martin & Tesser, 1996).”
BackgroundInfluential
Should you switch off or stay engaged? The consequences of thinking about work on the trajectory of psychological well-being over time.
Firoozabadi, A., Uitdewilligen, S., & Zijlstra, F. (2016) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/ocp0000068 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Thieves of Flow: How Unfinished Tasks at Work are Related to Flow Experience and Wellbeing
Peifer, C., Syrek, C. J., Ostwald, V., Schuh, E., & Antoni, C. H. (2019) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00149-z · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Self-citation
Procrastination in Daily Working Life: A Diary Study on Within-Person Processes That Link Work Characteristics to Workplace Procrastination
Prem, R., Scheel, T., Weigelt, O., Hoffmann, K., & Korunka, C. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01087 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Self-citation
Appreciation by supervisors buffers the impact of work interruptions on well-being longitudinally.
Stocker, D., Keller, A. C., Meier, L. L., Elfering, A., Pfister, I. B., Jacobshagen, N., & Semmer, N. K. (2018) · International Journal of Stress Management · doi:10.1037/str0000111 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
“…negative affect; these should increase in response to concerns about unfinished tasks and the threats that interruptions pose to goal attainment (for a recent examination of the Zeigarnik effect, see Syrek et al., 2017) and should decrease due to one’s being appreciated (Stocker et al., 2014).”
All I want for Christmas is recovery – changes in employee affective well-being before and after vacation
Syrek, C. J., Weigelt, O., Kühnel, J., & de Bloom, J. (2018) · Work & Stress · doi:10.1080/02678373.2018.1427816 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“…tasks We assessed over the 15-week period work-related unfinished tasks on Fridays and personal unfinished tasks on Mondays referring to the weekend with four items each adapted from Syrek et al. (2017), e.g. “I have not finished important work tasks that I had planned to do this work week.””
BackgroundMethodSelf-citation
Double-edged effects of work-related technology use after hours on employee well-being and recovery: The role of appraisal and its determinants
Reinke, K., & Ohly, S. (2021) · German Journal of Human Resource Management Zeitschrift für Personalforschung · doi:10.1177/2397002221995797 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“…positive ICT use appraisal and psychological detachment is moderated by the extent of ICT use: If ICT use is evaluated as positive but at the same time, extent of ICT use after hours is high, there should be very little time left to detach and recover in the evening (Weigelt and Syrek, 2017).”
BackgroundInfluential
Continuity in transition: combining recovery and day-of-week perspectives to understand changes in employee energy across the 7-day week
Weigelt, O., Siestrup, K., & Prem, R. (2021) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.2514 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“We applied items adapted to German by other researchers (Syrek et al., 2017).”
MethodSelf-citation
Is Work-Related Rumination Associated with Deficits in Executive Functioning?
Cropley, M., Zijlstra, F. R. H., Querstret, D., & Beck, S. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01524 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“Workers tend to ruminate over tasks that are unfinished (Syrek and Antoni, 2014; Syrek et al., 2016).”
BackgroundMethod
Solving problems or seeing troubles? A day-level study on the consequences of thinking about work on recovery and well-being, and the moderating role of self-regulation
Firoozabadi, A., Uitdewilligen, S., & Zijlstra, F. (2018) · European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1080/1359432x.2018.1505720 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
“Regarding the within-person research, Syrek et al. (2017) showed a positive relationship between affective rumination and sleep impairment and a marginally negative relationship between problem-solving pondering and sleep impairment during the weekend.”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Exploring predictors and consequences of embitterment in the workplace
Michailidis, E., & Cropley, M. (2016) · Ergonomics · doi:10.1080/00140139.2016.1255783 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Psychological detachment and work-related rumination in teachers: A systematic review
Varol, Y. Z., Weiher, G. M., & Horz, H. (2020) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100354 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Technology-assisted supplemental work, psychological detachment, and employee well-being: A daily diary study
Eichberger, C., Derks, D., & Zacher, H. (2020) · German Journal of Human Resource Management Zeitschrift für Personalforschung · doi:10.1177/2397002220968188 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
“Furthermore, TASW can be a chance to complete unfinished tasks which can be beneficial for sleep (Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
School Counselors’ Work-Related Rumination as a Predictor of Burnout, Turnover Intentions, Job Satisfaction, and Work Engagement
Mullen, P., Backer, A., Chae, N., & Li, H. (2020) · Professional School Counseling · doi:10.1177/2156759x20957253 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“Most of the research on work-related rumination does not focus on positive traits, such as job satisfaction or work engagement, but instead looks at work-related rumination in relationship to stress (Querstret & Cropley, 2012) and sleep (Hamesch et al., 2014; Querstret & Cropley, 2012; Syrek et al., 2016).”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Fueling Work Engagement: The Role of Sleep, Health, and Overtime
Schleupner, R., & Kühnel, J. (2021) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.592850 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
How customer mistreatment hinders employee sleep quality and next‐morning vigor: The effects of affective rumination and mindfulness
Zhang, H., Zhou, Z. E., Zhang, L., Liu, Y., & Shi, Y. (2023) · Applied Psychology · doi:10.1111/apps.12507 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
The Association Between Work-Related Rumination and Executive Function Using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function
Cropley, M., & Collis, H. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00821 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Always on, never done? How the mind recovers after a stressful workday?
Wendsche, J., de Bloom, J., Syrek, C. J., & Vahle‐Hinz, T. (2021) · German Journal of Human Resource Management Zeitschrift für Personalforschung · doi:10.1177/23970022211004598 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
“Studies on work-related thoughts suggest the same antecedents for affective rumination and problem-solving pondering (e.g. Syrek et al., 2017; Vahle-Hinz et al., 2014).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citation
Working from home during lockdown: the association between rest breaks and well-being
Cropley, M., Weidenstedt, L., Leick, B., & Sütterlin, S. (2022) · Ergonomics · doi:10.1080/00140139.2022.2095038 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“Other studies have also demonstrated that the WRRQ has good reliability and validity (Cropley and Collis 2020; Syrek et al. 2017).”
Background
How Job Stress Affect Flow Experience at Work: The Masking and Mediating Effect of Work-Related Rumination
Feng, X. (2022) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941221122881 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“Rumination prolongs an individual ’ s physiological and psychological activation in response to stressors, thereby weakening their ability to recover and enter the state of ﬂ ow therefrom (Demsky et al., 2019; Syrek et al., 2017).”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Ovsiankina's Great Relief: How Supplemental Work during the Weekend May Contribute to Recovery in the Face of Unfinished Tasks
Weigelt, O., & Syrek, C. (2017) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph14121606 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“We argued above that the presence of unfinished tasks is detrimental to recovery and employee well-being as it prevents mental disengagement [1,11,12].”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialSelf-citation
When Thinking About Work Makes Employees Reach for Their Devices: A Longitudinal Autoregressive Diary Study
Heissler, C., Kern, M., & Ohly, S. (2022) · Journal of Business and Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10869-021-09781-0 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
“According to Syrek et al., (2017, p. 227), unfinished tasks “refer to tasks that the employee aimed to finish (or make certain progress [on]), but which were left undone (or left in an unsatisfactory state) when the employee stopped working.””
BackgroundMethodResultInfluential
Improving the Lives of Leaders: The Beneficial Effects of Positive Leader Self-Reflection
Lanaj, K., Foulk, T. A., & Jennings, R. E. (2022) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/01492063221110205 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists.
Scullin, M. K., Krueger, M. L., Ballard, H. K., Pruett, N., & Bliwise, D. L. (2017) · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · doi:10.1037/xge0000374 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“…is surprising in light of the evidence that unfinished tasks are a significant source of cognitive activation and worry (Bugg & Scullin, 2013; Goshke & Kuhl, 1993; Kecklund & Akerstedt, 2004; Martin & Tesser, 1996; Söderström et al., 2004; Syrek & Antoni, 2014; Syrek et al., 2016; Zeigarnik, 1938).”
BackgroundResult
How Difficult Doctor‒Patient Relationships Impair Physicians’ Work Engagement: The Roles of Prosocial Motivation and Problem-Solving Pondering
Zhang, L., Qiu, Y., Zhang, N., & Li, S. (2019) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/0033294119826887 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Gesundheitsfördernde Arbeitsgestaltung im Homeoffice im Kontext der COVID-19-Pandemie
Mojtahedzadeh, N., Rohwer, E., Lengen, J. C., Harth, V., & Mache, S. (2021) · Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie · doi:10.1007/s40664-020-00419-1 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Age‐related differences in the use of boundary management tactics when teleworking: Implications for productivity and work‐life balance
Scheibe, S., Retzlaff, L., Hommelhoff, S., & Schmitt, A. (2024) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12512 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Antecedents, outcomes and measurement of work related-cognition in non-work time: A multistudy report using the work-related rumination questionnaire in two languages
Pauli, R., Gaum, P. M., Cropley, M., & Lang, J. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1013744 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“, 2007; Pauli and Lang, 2021a) or over time (Syrek et al., 2017; Kinnunen et al., 2019; e.g., Hamesch et al., 2014), to the best of our knowledge, preconditions for such comparisons, i.”
Background
Leader support for recovery: A multi‐level approach to employee psychological detachment from work
Sonnentag, S., Kark, R., & Venz, L. (2024) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12538 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
The Role of Trait and State Perfectionism in Psychological Detachment From Daily Job Demands
Reis, D., & Prestele, E. (2019) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.2901 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Impacts of work-related rumination on employee’s innovative performance: based on the conservation of resources theory
Qian, S., Zhang, X., & Liu, J. (2024) · Baltic Journal of Management · doi:10.1108/bjm-01-2024-0023 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Cyberloafing: Exploring the Role of Psychological Wellbeing and Social Media Learning
Krishna, S. M., & Agrawal, S. (2023) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs13080649 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“Researchers have questioned the generally held belief that cyberloafing is always harmful, stating that it can help people recover faster [82] and be more involved in their subsequent work [84].”
Background
Feeling stressed but in full flow? Leader mindfulness shapes subordinates' perseverative cognition and reaction
Xie, H.-J., & Feng, X.-Y. (2023) · Journal of Managerial Psychology · doi:10.1108/jmp-03-2022-0140 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Game Dynamics that Support Snacking, not Feasting
Alexandrovsky, D., Friehs, M. A., Birk, M. V., Yates, R. K., & Mandryk, R. L. (2019) · Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play · doi:10.1145/3311350.3347151 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“Furthermore, as the Zeigarnik Effect shows, unfinished tasks (such as uncompleted missions) have an innate pull [85, 119], and the satisfaction provided by in-game completion increases with age [15].”
Background
Challenge and hindrance stressors in relation to sleep
French, K. A., Allen, T. D., & Henderson, T. G. (2019) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.01.009 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“, sleep onset latency and disturbed sleep), whereas challenge stressors such as time pressure are weakly or not significantly associated with sleep quality (e.g., Åkerstedt et al., 2004; Eriksen et al., 2008; Knudsen et al., 2007; Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
Switch Off Totally or Switch Off Strategically? The Consequences of Thinking About Work on Job Performance
Zhang, J., Li, W., Ma, H., & Smith, A. P. (2020) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/0033294120968080 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“The classic Zeigarnik effect suggests that humans are naturally obsessed with unfinished goals (Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
To Plan or Not to Plan? A Mixed-Methods Diary Study Examining When, How and Why Knowledge Work Planning is Inaccurate
Ahmetoglu, Y., Brumby, D. P., & Cox, A. L. (2021) · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1145/3432921 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“to collaborate efficiently on multiple projects[15], to spend time on the tasks that matter to them most [29], and to ensure they spend quality time away from work to recuperate from work stress [43].”
Background
Exploring the Relationship Between Work Stress and Work-related Rumination
Zhang, J., Liu, F., & Smith, A. P. (2023) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941231168783 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“This may explain the failure of some previous studies to ﬁ nd a mediating role in problem-solving rumination (e.g., Syrek et al., 2017; Vandevala et al., 2017).”
Influential
The role of job demands and negative work reflection in employees’ trajectory of sleep quality over the workweek.
Haun, V. C., & Oppenauer, V. (2019) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/ocp0000156 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Effects of Presleep Cognitive Intrusions on Subjective Sleep and Next-Day Cognitive Performance in Insomnia
Ballesio, A., Ghezzi, V., Vacca, M., Ottaviani, C., & Lombardo, C. (2019) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2019.09.003 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
High-Frequency Heart Rate Variability Reactivity and Trait Worry Interact to Predict the Development of Sleep Disturbances in Response to a Naturalistic Stressor
MacNeil, S., Deschênes, S. S., Caldwell, W., Brouillard, M., Dang-Vu, T.-T., & Gouin, J.-P. (2017) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-017-9915-z · Cited by 24 · see citing works
How leaders benefit from engaging in high-quality leader-member exchanges: a daily diary study
Richter-Killenberg, S., & Volmer, J. (2022) · Journal of Managerial Psychology · doi:10.1108/jmp-06-2021-0370 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Why does leader aggressive humor lead to bystander workplace withdrawal behavior?—Based on the dual path perspective of cognition- affection
Chen, H., Wang, L., & Bao, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.925029 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“Research shows that the higher the leaders’ job requirements or performance expectations on employees, the more obvious the rumination of employees related to work (Perko et al., 2017; Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
A randomized controlled trial to improve psychological detachment from work and well-being among employees: a study protocol comparing online CBT-based and mindfulness interventions
Tement, S., Zorjan, S., Lavrič, M., Poštuvan, V., & Plohl, N. (2020) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09691-5 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
A field experiment on the effects of weekly planning behaviour on work engagement, unfinished tasks, rumination, and cognitive flexibility
Uhlig, L., Baumgartner, V. C., Prem, R., Siestrup, K., Korunka, C., & Kubicek, B. (2023) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12430 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“Therefore, planning behaviour may allow employees to experience cognitive resolution and make work less cognitively available when employees are not working (Johnson et al., 2006; Syrek et al., 2017).”
BackgroundResult
Serious Snacking: A Survival Analysis of how Snacking Mechanics Affect Attrition in a Mobile Serious Game
Alexandrovsky, D., Friehs, M. A., Grittner, J., Putze, S., Birk, M. V., Malaka, R., & Mandryk, R. L. (2021) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3411764.3445689 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“Moreover, Completion addresses the Zeigarnik Efect and initiates a pull to complete unfnished tasks [68, 105]”
Background
Does sleep help or harm managers’ perceived productivity? Trade-offs between affect and time as resources.
Sayre, G. M., Grandey, A. A., & Almeida, D. M. (2020) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/ocp0000192 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“Conversely, on days when individuals complete more tasks than normal, they are more able to relax and invest in their personal health (Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
Examining work–home segmentation as a coping strategy for frontline workers: a mixed method study of social workers across Australia
Chan, X. W., Kalliath, P., Fan, S. X., & Kalliath, T. J. (2022) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2022.2045620 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“Another reason that could potentially explain why it was difficult for them to switch off was that the unfinished work lingered on in their minds and caused them to ruminate on the incomplete work tasks (Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
Joy at work turns to sorrow at home: The influence of flow experience on work–family conflict and a three‐way interaction effect
Feng, X.-Y., Han, P., & Tong, J. T. (2023) · Applied Psychology · doi:10.1111/apps.12500 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Patient mistreatment and new nurse adjustment: The role of rumination and work engagement
Wang, H., Li, P., Bauer, T. N., & Erdoğan, B. (2023) · Human Relations · doi:10.1177/00187267231211847 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“When a new nurse engages in rumination, it can lead to the depletion of physical and mental resources (Syrek et al., 2017), resulting in reduced vigor.”
Exploring the Engaged Worker over Time—A Week-Level Study of How Positive and Negative Work Events Affect Work Engagement
Weigelt, O., Schmitt, A., Syrek, C. J., & Ohly, S. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18136699 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“To infer accumulation, we estimated so-called emergent or compositional effects leveraging multilevel modeling procedures [61,67,70,71].”
MethodSelf-citation
Efficacy of a smartphone-based intervention — “Holidaily” — promoting recovery behaviour in workers after a vacation: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Smyth, A., de Bloom, J., Syrek, C. J., Domin, M., Janneck, M., Reins, J. A., & Lehr, D. (2020) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09354-5 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citation
Collective resources for individual recovery: The moderating role of social climate on the relationship between job stressors and work-related rumination – A multilevel approach
Pauli, R., & Lang, J. (2021) · German Journal of Human Resource Management Zeitschrift für Personalforschung · doi:10.1177/23970022211002361 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“, 2012), impaired sleep quality (Berset et al., 2011; Cropley et al., 2006; Syrek et al., 2017; Vahle-Hinz et al., 2014) and somatic health outcomes (Ottaviani et al.”
Background
Reattachment to work in the morning and day-level leader outcomes
Fritz, C., Auten, D., & Caughlin, D. E. (2021) · Journal of Vocational Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103617 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Review of the Internal Structure, Psychometric Properties, and Measurement Invariance of the Work-Related Rumination Scale – Spanish Version
Rosario-Hernández, E., Rovira-Millán, L. V., & Merino‐Soto, C. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.774472 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“, 2020), 11 used the affective and problem-solving pondering subscales (Bisht, 2017; Kinnunen et al., 2017, 2019; Querstret et al., 2017; Syrek et al., 2017; Vahle-Hinz et al., 2017; Firoozabadi et al., 2018a,b; Junker et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020; Pauli and Lang, 2021), two studies used the problem-solving ponder…”
Background
Do behavioural intentions matter? A diary study on work-related ICT-use after work hours
Gadeyne, N., Darouei, M., Verbruggen, M., Delanoeije, J., & de Beeck, S. O. (2023) · European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1080/1359432x.2023.2225773 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Daily unfinished tasks were measured at t1 (at 3 pm) with three items of the scale of Syrek and colleagues (Syrek et al., 2017).”
BackgroundMethod
Establishing a Recovery Menu to Increase the Resilience of Entrepreneurs
Battisti, M., Gish, J. J., Hatak, I., & Zhou, H. (2024) · British Journal of Management · doi:10.1111/1467-8551.12827 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Adaptation of Work-Related Rumination Scale into Turkish
Akyüz, B. S., & Sulak, S. (2019) · Eğitimde ve Psikolojide Ölçme ve Değerlendirme Dergisi · doi:10.21031/epod.542872 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“According to current study results, factor structure of the scale was similar to German translation (Syrek et al., 2017) as well as Persian translation (Firoozabadi et al., 2018).”
MethodResultInfluential
“Win‐win”: Dual‐path influence of workplace spirituality on work‐family enrichment
Liu, Y., Si, Z., Shi, Y., Li, B., Liu, P., Liu, S., & Sun, Q. (2024) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12495 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Stuck on the Train of Ruminative Thoughts: The Effect of Aggressive Fantasy on Subjective Well-Being
Poon, K., & Wong, W.-Y. (2018) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/0886260518812796 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“…related to past stressful or traumatic experiences, in the sense that people ruminate more subsequent to experiencing natural disasters, or sudden deaths of loved ones, or when confronting office work that they have not yet accomplished (e.g., Roberts, Watkins, & Wills, 2013; Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
Patterns and predictors of change in energy and mood around a vacation from the workplace: Distinguishing the effects of supplemental work activity and work‐related perseverative cognition
Flaxman, P. E., Stride, C., Newman, S., & Ménard, J. (2022) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12410 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“…rationale underpinning this proposition stems from the classic Zeigarnik and Ovsiankina effects (Ovsiankina, 1928; Zeigarnik, 1938; also see Syrek et al., 2017; Weigelt & Syrek, 2017), and the more contemporary control theory account of human self-regulation (Carver & Scheier, 1990, 1998,…”
Background
Negative cognitive–affective involvement as a mechanism linking job demands to occupational well-being: The moderating role of maladaptive thinking patterns.
Noja, A., Tement, S., & Kubicek, B. (2023) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/ocp0000364 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Empathetic creativity as a ‘shield’: A dual-path study of the impact of artificial intelligence usage on employee work outcomes
Jiao, Y., Huang, Y., Wen, T., & OuYang, M. (2025) · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104301 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
When do daily unattained tasks boost job performance? The moderating role of employee reflexivity and mindfulness
Petrou, P. (2021) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2021.1945653 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“Because of this tension, interrupted tasks are easier to recall by individuals, which has been called the ‘Zeigarnik effect’ (Syrek et al., 2017, p. 227; Zeigarnik, 1927).”
Background
Being Tired or Having Much Left Undone: The Relationship Between Fatigue and Unfinished Tasks With Affective Rumination and Vitality in Beginning Teachers
Weiher, G. M., Varol, Y. Z., & Horz, H. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.935775 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“The effects of unfinished tasks have been demonstrated in numerous studies (Syrek et al., 2017; Weigelt et al., 2018).”
BackgroundResultInfluential
How does burnout relate to daily work-related rumination and well-being of psychotherapists? A daily diary study among psychotherapeutic practitioners
Gössmann, K., Schmid, R. F., Loos, C., Orthmann, A. B. A., Rosner, R., & Barke, A. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1003171 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Be prepared: Does psychological reattachment buffer the effect of a bad night's sleep on day‐specific work engagement and proactivity?
Schleupner, R., Kühnel, J., Melchers, K. G., & Richter, S. S. (2023) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12424 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
The role of perceived autonomy support and fear of failure: A weekly diary study on work-related rumination
Manuoğlu, E. (2023) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0291312 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
When and Why Negative Supervisor Gossip Yields Functional and Dysfunctional Consequences on Subordinate Interactive Behaviors
Ding, C., Su, M., Pei, J., Zhu, C. J., & Zhao, S. (2024) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-024-05900-y · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Even if the problem remains unsolved, problem-solving pondering can still lead to plans for addressing the task, which promotes recovery (Syrek et al., 2017).”
Lack of Detachment, Affective Rumination or Problem-Solving Pondering? Decoding the Connection Between Job Insecurity and Exhaustion
Otto, K., & Kleszewski, E. (2025) · Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.16993/sjwop.280 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Interruption, work rumination, and stress as indicators of reduced working memory resources affect aesthetic experiences
Weigand, R., & Jacobsen, T. (2021) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/17470218211050194 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Unfinished tasks are tasks that an individual aimed to finish, but were left unfinished in an unsatisfactory state when that person stopped working (Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
The relevance of work-related rumination and boundary control for spillover effects from work to home: results from a diary study
Junker, N. M., Heimrich, J., Häusser, J. A., & Rigotti, T. (2025) · Work & Stress · doi:10.1080/02678373.2025.2553651 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Doing so should help them find closure – resulting in less affective rumination (Syrek et al., 2017) – while also being able to engage in more problem-solving pondering.”
Does After‐Hours Telepressure Increase Next‐Day Emotional Exhaustion or Cognitive Flexibility? The Role of Different Work‐Related Rumination Processes
Xu, A. J., Sun, H., & Ma, J. (2026) · Human Resource Management · doi:10.1002/hrm.70050 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Does looking forward set you back? Development and validation of the work prospection scale
Rutten, R. L. J., Hulsheger, U. R., & Zijlstra, F. (2022) · European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1080/1359432x.2022.2080058 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“For instance, problem solving pondering was found to be unrelated to long-term detrimental effects such as depressive symptoms (Hamesch et al., 2014) and sleep impairment (Syrek et al., 2017).”
Background
Unlimited Paid Time Off Policies: Unlocking the Best and Unleashing the Beast
de Bloom, J., Syrek, C. J., Kühnel, J., & Vahle‐Hinz, T. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.812187 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citation
Work‐related rumination as a mediator between hindrance demands and sleep quality
Janurek, J., Junker, N. M., Hadi, S. A., Mojzisch, A., & Häusser, J. A. (2024) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12501 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
睡眠与工作：相互作用机制
Sheng, X., Liu, Z., Zhang, X., Heng, G. U. O., Shu, D. A., & Zhou, S. (2018) · Advances in Psychological Science · doi:10.3724/sp.j.1042.2018.01844 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Why does leadership non-contingent punishment lead to bystander workplace deviance behavior? – Dual path perspective of cognition and affection
Wang, L., & Chen, H. (2024) · Journal of Organizational Change Management · doi:10.1108/jocm-04-2023-0145 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Responsible Automation: Exploring Potentials and Losses through Automation in Human-Computer Interaction from a Psychological Perspective
Diefenbach, S., Ullrich, D., Lindermayer, T., & Isaksen, K.-L. (2024) · Inf. · doi:10.3390/info15080460 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“To this aim, the present findings could also be interpreted in light of classical findings from working psychology, such as overcoming a challenge and success as a central reason for liking a task [94] or a negative impact of unfinished tasks on flow and wellbeing (e.g., [82,95,96]).”
Result
Pixels and people: Exploring the dynamics of engagement and disengagement in Minecraft's multiplayer realm
Doan, V. A., Alexandrovsky, D., van Sintemaartensdijk, I., Gerling, K., & Friehs, M. A. (2025) · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2025.103465 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“While it is certainly fine to think about and daydream about one ’ s hobby, in extreme cases unfinished tasks may impair sleeping and increase rumination (Syrek et al., 2017).”

What Keeps You Up at Night? The Effect of Domain-Specific Unfinished Tasks, Ruminative Cognitions, and Supportive Supervisors on Employee Sleep
Perkins, H. E. (2026) · Civil War Book Review
Unfinished tasks foster rumination and impair sleeping—Particularly if leaders have high performance expectations
Syrek, C. J., & Antoni, C. H. (2014) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0037127 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Self-citation
The influence of unfinished tasks on subjective ease of falling asleep via negative emotions at work: a diary study
Kovalchuk, L. S., González‐Romá, V., Balducci, C., Molinaro, D., & Spagnoli, P. (2025) · Anxiety Stress & Coping · doi:10.1080/10615806.2025.2601226 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Finding peace of mind when there still is so much left undone—A diary study on how job stress, competence need satisfaction, and proactive work behavior contribute to work-related rumination during the weekend.
Weigelt, O., Syrek, C. J., Schmitt, A., & Urbach, T. (2018) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/ocp0000117 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Self-citation
Effects of work stress on work-related rumination, restful sleep, and nocturnal heart rate variability experienced on workdays and weekends.
Vahle‐Hinz, T., Bamberg, E., Dettmers, J., Friedrich, N., & Keller, M. (2014) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0036009 · Cited by 89 · see citing works

Authors: Syrek, C. J., Weigelt, O., Peifer, C., & Antoni, C. H.
Affiliations: Universität Trier (DE)
FernUniversität in Hagen (DE)
Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
ORCID: Syrek, Christine J.
Weigelt, Oliver
Peifer, Corinna
Antoni, Conny H.
Venue: Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 2017-04
Volume: 22
Issue: 2
Pages: 225-238
ISSN: 1076-8998 (ISSN-L)
1939-1307
DOI: 10.1037/ocp0000031
OpenAlex: W2338866585
Cited by: 187
References: 81
Citations by year: 2026: 27 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 3
FWCI: 18.93
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Journal of Occupational Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Workaholism, burnout, and well-being
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
Keywords: unfinished tasks, Zeigarnik effect, affective rumination, problem-solving pondering, sleep disorders, occupational stress, employee recovery, weekend sleep, occupational stressors
MeSH terms: Work Performance, Adult, Attitude, Cognition, Female, Germany, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Male, Middle Aged, Problem Solving, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress, Psychological, Work, Multilevel Analysis, Young Adult

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Zeigarnik’s sleepless nights: How unfinished tasks at the end of the week impair employee sleep on the weekend through rumination

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