Daily within-fluctuations in need frustration and implications for employee recovery and well-being: A mixed-methods study

Abstract

Introduction: Daily variations in frustration of basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) have received limited attention. This mixed-methods study examines such daily variations and their relations to recovery from work and employee well-being. Method: The study uses multilevel modeling of repeated measures through daily surveys from a period of 8 working days across 2 consecutive weeks, combined with in-depth interviews. A sample of 54 Norwegian health-care workers completed a total of 242 daily surveys, and follow-up interviews were conducted with 10 participants. Results: Quantitative results showed that need frustration at work fluctuates from day to day, with competence frustration notably impairing recovery (i.e., lower psychological detachment and relaxation) and increasing ill-being (i.e., higher exhaustion and negative work affect). Autonomy frustration was related to increased exhaustion and sleep complaints, while relatedness frustration showed no significant relation to recovery, ill-being, or sleep. Qualitative findings corroborated and expanded on these results, offering deepened insights into how competence and, sometimes, relatedness need frustration hampered the recovery process and sleep. Conclusion: The results of the current study add to the scarce body of literature on daily fluctuations in need frustration at work and its adverse consequences.