Resource Gain and Cross-Domain Spillover: How Work Connectivity Behavior After Hours Sustains Work Engagement

With the widespread adoption of information technology, work connectivity behavior after hours has become a common phenomenon in organizations, yet its potential positive effects on employees remain to be explored. Guided by Conservation of Resources theory and integrating the Job Demands-Resources model with the Work-Home Resources model, this study integrated work and family domains to investigate how work connectivity behavior after hours influences work engagement from a resource perspective. Analysis of data from 327 Chinese employees revealed a positive association between work connectivity behavior after hours and work engagement. This relationship was found to be mediated by employees' thriving at work and their experience of work-family enrichment. Furthermore, workplace mindfulness was found to moderate the association between work connectivity behavior after hours and thriving at work, as well as the strength of the overall indirect pathway to work engagement. These findings not only extend the current literature on work connectivity behavior after hours but also provide novel perspectives for organizations to effectively manage such connectivity beyond working hours.