Successfully leaving work at work: The self-regulatory underpinnings of psychological detachment

Smit, Brandon W.

doi:10.1111/joop.12137

Cited by 98Workaholism, burnout, and well-beingWork-Family Balance ChallengesJob Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior

Successfully leaving work at work: The self-regulatory underpinnings of psychological detachment

Smit, Brandon W.·2016·Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology

DOI 10.1111/joop.12137

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Abstract

Detaching from work – defined as mentally and physically disengaging from work during off‐hours – is an important prerequisite to effective daily recovery and psychological well‐being. However, the extant literature has yet to articulate exactly why some employees fail to detach from work and, furthermore, offers few concrete recommendations on how to increase detachment on a daily basis. I illustrate how both of these limitations may be resolved by extending the definition of psychological detachment to more clearly specify from what employees are failing to detach. Drawing from self‐regulation research, the theoretical framework developed in this study proposes that employees' minds continue to linger over goal‐related content after the workday is finished. This proposition was supported in a longitudinal sample of 103 employees pursuing 1,127 goals. Consistent with a self‐regulatory perspective, employees had more difficulty detaching from incomplete (vs. completed) work goals later in the day, especially when these goals possessed high valence. Furthermore, an experimental manipulation demonstrated that creating plans to resolve incomplete goals increased psychological detachment among employees with traits that chronically inhibit detachment. I discuss how this refined conceptualization of psychological detachment catalyses future theoretical development and provides groundwork for evidence‐based interventions. Practitioner points: Creating plans at the end of the day that describe where, when, and how unfulfilled work goals will be completed is an effective, low‐cost intervention that enhances psychological detachment among employees, which will ultimately improve occupational health and performance. The planning intervention was primarily effective among employees who typically have difficulty detaching from work during leisure time, indicating that intervention efforts should be targeted at specific types of employees. When setting daily work goals, employees should be encouraged to focus on smaller, concrete goals at the end of the day in order to reduce unfulfilled work goals and facilitate psychological detachment.

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Smit's intervention aimed at improving coping with incomplete goals by making plans for next steps improved outcomes for at least highly involved individuals.
“Smit [11] recently introduced an intervention aimed at improving coping with incomplete goals by means of making plans for which steps to take next to complete tasks. He provides empirical evidence that at least highly involved individuals benefited from this strategy.”
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 [11]
Highly involved individuals benefited most from Smit's intervention targeted at coping with unattained goals.
“For instance, Smit [11] found that highly involved individuals [55] benefited most from an intervention targeted at coping with unattained goals.”
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 [11]

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Weigelt, O., & Syrek, C. (2017) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph14121606 · Cited by 30 · see citing works

Authors: Smit, B. W.
Affiliations: Ball State University (US)
Corresponding author: Smit, Brandon W.
ORCID: Smit, Brandon W.
Venue: Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2015-11-12
Volume: 89
Issue: 3
Pages: 493-514
ISSN: 0963-1798 (ISSN-L)
2044-8325
DOI: 10.1111/joop.12137
OpenAlex: W2135755482
Cited by: 98
References: 52
Citations by year: 2026: 7 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 2
FWCI: 10.39
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology (publishedVersion, public-domain)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Workaholism, burnout, and well-being
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Work-Family Balance Challenges
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
Keywords: psychological detachment, work-life boundaries, self-regulation, employee well-being, work recovery, goal setting

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Successfully leaving work at work: The self-regulatory underpinnings of psychological detachment

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