The longitudinal effect of multiple job demands on fatigue and sleep problems: the moderating role of recovery experiences

Work stress has been investigated at distinct levels that inflict detrimental impacts on employees' well-being. Despite extensive research, it is unclear how employees who share demands collectively across teams seek recovery to mitigate the adverse effect of team demands on strains. Drawing from multilayer demands, we aim to understand how recovery experiences moderate the relationship between multiple job demands, fatigue, and sleep problems. Two-wave multilevel longitudinal data were collected from 248 (44 departments) and 155 (28 departments) academicians in public universities over a four-month interval and analysed using Hierarchical Linear Modelling. It emerged that psychological detachment served to moderate the relationship between individual emotional demands and fatigue and has a moderating effect between team demands (not physical) and sleep problems. Relaxation attenuates the relationship between individual physical demands and sleep problems and has an interaction effect on team-related physical demands and fatigue. Thus, the management should prioritize recovery-promoting strategies and interventions in team settings.