Hybrid work and daily energy dynamics: breaks, inclusion, and evening recovery

Employees and employers alike are striving to realize the potential of hybrid work. Based on energy, recovery, and remote work intensity theories, we expected that daily fluctuations in work locations (i.e. remote versus onsite) provide employees different opportunities for energy-related mechanisms (i.e. taking breaks as needed versus feeling included), which would have consequences for daily energy levels and evening recovery experiences. Using a daily diary study with morning, workday, and evening surveys (n = 3,138 days; N = 271 employees), multilevel path analysis revealed that, on days spent onsite at their workplace, employees feel more included, energized, and have better recovery experiences (i.e., detachment and relaxation) that evening. Conversely, on days spent remotely, employees can take more breaks as needed, ending the day more energized and then better able to detach and relax that evening. These findings reveal new theoretical insights into the dynamics of how work location affects hybrid worker daily energy levels and evening recovery. Practical implications point to the importance of considering these energy-related trade-offs of daily variation in work locations. For example, by considering the consequences of where work is executed and the need to balance opportunities for autonomy and connection across onsite and remote locations.