Work-family balance and energy: A day-level study on recovery conditions

The present study examines whether daily recovery inhibiting and enhancing conditions predict day-levels of work-family conflict (WFC), work-family facilitation (WFF), exhaustion and vigor. Forty-nine individuals from various professional backgrounds in Spain provided questionnaire and daily survey measures over a period of five working days. Multilevel analyses showed that day-levels of work pressure and recovery after breaks at work significantly predicted WFC and exhaustion, and WFF and vigor, respectively. Moreover, daily fluctuations in expression of emotions had different effects depending on the expressed content (negative or positive) and the setting where it took place (work or home). Furthermore, additional analyses provided some evidence for a moderating role of expression of emotions at work on the relationship between recovery inhibiting and enhancing conditions and exhaustion. These findings reveal practical implications for individuals and organizations and suggest possible avenues for future research.