Boredom at work: towards a dynamic spillover model of need satisfaction, work motivation, and work-related boredom

an article by Madelon L. M. van Hooff (Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands) and Edwin A. J. van Hooft (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) published in European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology Volume 26 Issue 1 (2017)

Abstract

Boredom occurs regularly at work and can have negative consequences. This study aimed to increase insight in the antecedents and processes underlying the development of work-related boredom by

1. examining whether work-related need satisfaction and the quality-of-work motivation mediate the associations between the work characteristics defined in the Job Characteristics Model and work-related boredom,
2. investigating if this motivational process operates both on an “enduring,” between-person level and a daily within-person level, and
3. examining if and how daily experiences of work-related boredom spill over to the next day.

Data among employees were collected in a cross-sectional study (N = 115) and a 5-day daily diary study (N = 90).

Study 1 results showed that need satisfaction and quality-of-work motivation mediated the association between work characteristics and work-related boredom.

This motivational process was also found on a day-to-day basis in Study 2. This study further revealed that work-related boredom spills over to the next day through its associations with increased negative work attitudes and decreased intrinsic motivation.

These findings provide insight in the process by which momentary experiences of boredom at work may develop into a more enduring experience of work-related boredom.

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