Does work‐related information and communication technology use during daily commutes promote the speed of work engagement? A role transition perspective

Abstract

The current study aims to address how and when work‐related information and communication technology (ICT) use during daily commutes affects the speed of work engagement. Based on a role transition perspective, we propose that work‐related ICT use during the home‐to‐work commute (WICT H‐W) has a positive indirect effect on the speed of work engagement via increased psychological detachment from home; and work‐related ICT use during the work‐to‐home commute (WICT W‐H) has a negative indirect effect on the next‐day speed of work engagement via increased work‐to‐home conflict. Moreover, we expect general task significance to amplify these effects of work‐related ICT use during commutes. Using an experience sampling study with 149 employees over 10 consecutive workdays, multilevel analyses revealed that daily WICT H‐W was positively related to psychological detachment from home, which, in turn, accelerated the speed of work engagement in the morning. On the other hand, daily WICT W‐H was positively associated with work‐to‐home conflict; however, the relationship between work‐to‐home conflict and next‐day speed of work engagement was not significant as expected. Besides, the cross‐level moderating role of general task significance was supported by our data. Specifically, employees with higher task significance experienced more pronounced effects of WICT H‐W on psychological detachment from home and of WICT W‐H on work‐to‐home conflict. These findings highlight daily commutes as a critical role transition context and show that work‐related ICT use during commutes can either facilitate or disrupt employees' daily role transitions depending on the direction of commute and the general perceived significance of work tasks.