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Purpose – Increasing speed in many life domains is currently being discussed under the term “social acceleration” as a societal phenomenon which not only affects western societies, but may also lead to job demands arising from accelerated change. Demands such as work intensification and intensified learning and their changes over time may increase emotional exhaustion, but may also induce positive effects. The purpose of this paper is to examine how increases in demands arising from accelerated change affect employee well-being. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 587 eldercare workers provided data on work intensification and intensified learning as well as on exhaustion and job satisfaction at two points in time. Findings – Work intensification was negatively related to future job satisfaction and positively related to future emotional exhaustion, whereas intensified learning was positively associated with future job satisfaction and negatively with future emotional exhaustion. Social implications – Intensified demands represents a growing social as well as work-specific challenge which needs to be addressed by practitioners. Originality/value – Using a longitudinal perspective this study is the first to examine the relationship of increases in work intensification and intensified learning with job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion at work.

Due to economic and technological changes, work has intensified over the past few decades. This intensification of work takes a toll on employees' well-being and job satisfaction. To explain the effects of work intensification on its outcomes we draw on the transactional stress model and examine the mediating role of cognitive appraisal. Furthermore, we examined whether a favorable participative climate influences the relation between work intensification and its appraisal. In Study 1, mediation analyses of 2-wave panel data (N = 253) supported the hypothesized mediating effect of cognitive appraisal on the relationship between work intensification and emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction, respectively. The cross-sectional Study 2 (N = 932) provided support for the salient role of cognitive appraisal in the relationship of work intensification to its outcomes. Moreover, data from Study 2 revealed that a favorable participative climate serves as a resource in the relationship between work intensification and cognitive appraisal. Additionally, results of a moderated mediation analysis showed that a favorable participative climate weakens the indirect effect of work intensification on its outcomes. Our studies emphasize the importance of promoting a favorable participative climate in organizations to better manage the work intensification resulting from economic and technological changes.

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We thank Franziska Knoop and Petra Schinewitz for their help in collecting.