After-work recovery in hybrid work: remote work intensity and general self-efficacy in work-related rumination

IntroductionHybrid work is increasingly widespread; however, it remains unclear whether employees benefit from these arrangements or struggle to manage work, life boundaries and achieve recovery. Focusing on two early cognitive indicators of recovery, affective rumination (AffRum) and problem-solving pondering (PSP), this study examines whether general self-efficacy (GSE), as a foundational personal resource, shapes the relationship between remote work intensity (RWI; operationalized as the structural frequency of remote workdays) and these processes. In high-intensity hybrid settings, where reduced institutional scaffolding and blurred boundaries amplify demands for autonomous boundary management, such personal resources become crucial.MethodsData were collected from 747 hybrid employees from four medium-to-large Italian organizations.ResultsResults showed that RWI interacted with GSE in predicting AffRum, such that high RWI was associated with higher rumination among employees with low GSE. No such interaction was found for PSP; suggesting that work-related problem-solving warrants further investigation to determine whether it stems from its constructive problem-solving nature or from how the construct is operationalized and perceived. Overall, our correlational findings suggest that intensive remote work configurations may present specific risks for recovery when personal self-regulatory resources are limited.DiscussionRather than focusing solely on the structural number of remote days, hybrid work management could benefit from incorporating strategies that support employees’ boundary management and psychological disengagement capabilities.