Motivational Drivers of Extensive Work Effort: Are Long Hours Always Detrimental to Well‐being?

Abstract

Is extensive work effort always detrimental to professionals' well-being? We argue that the link between extensive work effort and well-being depends on the reasons why professionals work extended hours. Drawing on self-determination theory and data from an international consultancy firm, we show that extrinsically driven work effort is negatively related to well-being, while intrinsically driven work effort is positively related to well-being. A reinforcing effect seems to exist between the two types of motivators, revealing that intrinsically driven work effort has both a direct and an indirect link to well-being, mitigating the downsides of extrinsically driven work effort.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Overtime Culture

“…Pursuing career outcomes such as salary increases and job promotions are important motivations for employees to work over-time. Employees who are intrinsically motivated to work overtime are enthusiastic about increasing their work commitment and deriving satisfaction from the increased work commitment and job outcomes [28]. Employees with high self-fulfilment requirements are more likely to work overtime voluntarily [29].…”

All work intensity is not created equal: Effort motives, job satisfaction and quit intentions at a grocery chain

“…Here, because motivations have long been viewed as an important individual characteristic predicting psychological functioning and well‐being (Vallerand, 1997), we focus on individual motivations for engaging in intensive work. Such motivations can credibly exist separate from job discretion (Avgoustaki & Cañibano, 2020), so a focus on individual motivations plausibly offers a productive way forward to improve our understanding of the differences in work‐related well‐being among employees performing intensive work.…”

“…All the above studies focused on the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for an employee's job as a whole. Nevertheless, one recent study examined the well‐being implications of extrinsically and intrinsically motivated overtime, an effort dimension distinct from work intensity, in a sample of employees at an international consultancy firm (Avgoustaki & Cañibano, 2020). In their sample of professionals, the authors showed that extrinsically driven overtime was negatively related, while intrinsically driven overtime was positively related, to employee well‐being, although the number of overtime hours per se was negatively related to well‐being.…”

“…Second, we extend the application of self-determination theory from a job as a whole to the specific yet consequential domain of work intensity (Deci et al, 2017). In the process, we complement recent work contrasting motives for the behaviour of working overtime (Avgoustaki & Cañibano, 2020), an effort dimension distinct from work intensity. Our focus on three motives also enriches the generic distinction between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation often made in work contexts.…”

“…For example, a focus on job discretion naturally bypasses individual differences in employees' motivations for working intensively. Yet, individual motivations are potent predictors of well-being (Vallerand, 1997) and can exist separately from job discretion (Avgoustaki & Cañibano, 2020). Thus, a focus on individual motivations for working intensively has the credible potential to improve our understanding of how resistant or vulnerable the well-being is of employees performing intensive work.…”