Abstract:

Work hours is one of most important factors that can influence employees’ well-being. Researchers has considered work hours solely as depleting, and had negative impact on employees’ well-being. Some of the researches have contradictory results. Drawing on a heterogeneity perspective of work, I argue that there is unaccounted for variability in the nature of work hours such that some are actually restorative rather than depleting. I articulate the four type of work hours through simultaneous consideration of the extent to which a given work hours is (1) depleting of regulatory resources and (2) generative of three particular resources shown to compensate for the effects of ego depletion. Beyond the depleting work hours that have been the focus of research to date, the resulting typology reveals two restorative types (replenishing and breakthrough) that I theorize positively shape well-being in both the short and long term. The new perspectives of future studies based on these reasons were discussed.

Key words: work hours, well-being, heterogeneity, regulatory resources, personal resources