The Effect of Sleep on Workplace Interpersonal Conflict: The Mediating Role of Ego Depletion

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep and workplace interpersonal conflict and the role ofego depletion as the mediating mechanism. A survey was conducted daily for two weeks using an experience samplingmethod. A sample of 79 employees from the East Coast of China was collected. A multilevel regression analysiswas conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Results indicated that higher sleep quantity was associatedwith lower daily ego depletion at noon and lower workplace interpersonal conflict. Moreover, ego depletionmediated the effects of sleep quantity on workplace interpersonal conflict. The findings identified the adverseeffects of insufficient sleep on daily interpersonal interactions and provided a valuable perspective on workplaceinterpersonal conflict management. Furthermore, the study broadened the scope of antecedents that impact howemployees experience daily workplace interpersonal conflict and assessed the mediating role of ego depletion inthis relationship.

Post-COVID-19 Challenges for Full-Time Employees in China: Job Insecurity, Workplace Anxiety and Work-Life Conflict

Background:Though the COVID-19 pandemic recedes,and our society gradually returns to normal,Chinese people’s work and lifestyles are still influenced by the“pandemic aftermath”.In the post-pandemic era,employees may feel uncertainty at work due to the changed organizational operations and management and perceive the external environment to be more dynamic.Both these perceptions may increase employees’negative emotions and contribute to conflicts between work and life.Drawing from the ego depletion theory,this study aimed to examine the impact of job insecurity during the post-pandemic era on employees’work-life conflicts,and the mediating effect of workplace anxiety in this relationship.Besides,this study also considered the uncertainty of the external macro environment as a boundary condition on the direct and indirect relationship between job insecurity and work-life conflicts.Methods:A two-wave questionnaire survey was conducted from October to December 2023 to collect data.MBA students and graduates from business school with full-time jobs are invited to report their perception of job insecurity,work anxiety,perceived environment uncertainty,and work-life conflict.This resulted in 253 valid responses.Data analysis was performed using the SPSS,Amos,and PROCESS.Results:The results showed that:(1)Employees’job insecurity would directly intensify the work-life conflict(B=0.275,p<0.001,95%CI[0.182,0.367]).(2)Employees’workplace anxiety mediates the relationship between job insecurity and work-life conflict(B=0.083,p<0.001,95%CI[0.047,0.130]).(3)The mediating effect of workplace anxiety between job insecurity and work-life conflict exists when perceived environmental uncertainty is high(B=0.049,95%CI[0.011,0.114]),while vanishes when perceived environmental uncertainty is low(B=0.024,95%CI[−0.005,0.068]).Conclusion:Job insecurity combined with perceived environmental uncertainty in the postpandemic era fuels employees’workplace anxiety and work-life conflicts.Post-pandemic trauma lingers,necessitating urgent attention and response.

Saving Resources for Future Demands-The Role of Instruction,Cognitive Load and Metacognition

Two studies test the hypothesis of conserving resources while performing depleting physical tasks and the modifying role of metacognitive self(MCS).A total of 216 undergraduate students performed two types of physical tasks(a body support on forearms―the first experiment;and a cold water test―the second experiment)in anticipation vs.no anticipation of the future task conditions.Among individuals with high-MCS much weaker persistence could be observed than among those with low-MCS.These results support theories of adaptive goal disengagement suggesting that how individuals apply their resources may stem from other reasons than ego depletion.