Interruptions at work and (counter)productivity: the mediating role of psychological need unfulfillment

Abstract

Purpose When employees complete their work tasks, they often experience intrusions stemming from the work (professional intrusions) or the home domain (personal intrusions). Yet, little is known about the respective implications of these two types of intrusions for employees’ productivity. This paper aims to investigate how professional and personal intrusions at work relate to the bright (perceived performance) and dark (procrastination) sides of employees' productivity. Based on recent advances in Self-Determination Theory, the authors also examined the mediating role of psychological need unfulfillment in these relations. Design/methodology/approach The authors relied on a cross-sectional survey design. A total of 229 French employees took part in the study. Findings Results from structural equation modelling indicated that need unfulfillment mediated the negative association between personal intrusions and employees’ performance and the positive relation between personal intrusions and procrastination. Professional intrusions were positively related to the soldiering dimension of procrastination only. Originality/value This study sheds light on the differentiated effects of personal and professional intrusions, while uncovering the psychological mechanisms at play. Personal intrusions, by triggering employees’ need unfulfillment, were found to have more extended detrimental consequences than professional intrusions. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is also the first to demonstrate the mediating role of need unfulfillment in the relations between socio-contextual characteristics and individual functioning, and thus contributes to Self-Determination Theory.