ABSTRACT
The aim of our research was to test time-exposure effects of time pressure as a stressor typically considered to be a challenge, rather than a hindrance stressor. We examined the within- and between-person effects of time pressure on work engagement in two diary/panel studies with employees using intervals of five days and three weeks, respectively (Study 1, n = 350, and n = 357, respectively) and six to eight weeks (Study 2, n = 238). We assumed that it is a matter of time whether time pressure acts as a challenge (under short-term exposure) or as a hindrance stressor (under long-term exposure). We found significant positive within-person effects of time pressure on work engagement when controlling for strain in the daily and weekly diary assessment (Study 1), but a significant negative within-person effect in the six to eight weeks’ assessment (Study 2). The between-person effects were significant and negative in all studies. Although a short-term increase can be beneficial for a certain time, stable and long-time exposure of time pressure does rather reduce work engagement. Thus, employers should not keep time pressure permanently high to motivate their employees. However, short-term increases of time pressure (e.g. before a deadline) may serve as a motivating factor.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. Only sex proved to be a significant predictor of work engagement in the day- and week-level analysis, when time pressure was also added to the equation. It was therefore kept in the model as a control variable. Please note that the between-person effect of time pressure on work engagement in the day-level analysis (Model 1, ) is only marginally significant if sex is not controlled for. All other effects, however, are the same when control variables are excluded from the equation.