Rest Without Trade-Offs: The Effects of Protected Leave on Psychological Recovery and Organizational Commitment

Journal: Modern Economics & Management Forum DOI: 10.32629/memf.v6i6.4655

Yuzhou Zhu

Trinity Western University, British Columbia, V2Y1Y1, Canada

Abstract

In high-intensity knowledge industries such as technology and digital platforms, employees are increasingly exposed to unpredictable schedules, compressed timelines, and extended work hours that jeopardize their psychological well-being and long-term organizational engagement. While recovery theory emphasizes the importance of rest and psychological detachment, current managerial practices rarely integrate recovery data into scheduling design. Existing literature tends to treat leave and work-rest cycles as external policy variables, rather than operational components of performance systems. This study proposes and empirically validates a recovery-informed scheduling model that dynamically adjusts daily work allocations based on individual psychological recovery scores and organizational workload intensity. Drawing on recovery theory and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, we theorize that aligning scheduling with employee recovery not only enhances organizational commitment but also improves productivity. Using data collected from knowledge workers in high-tech firms, we employ structural equation modeling (SEM) and simulation analysis to demonstrate the model's theoretical robustness and managerial applicability. Our findings offer novel insights into how recovery dynamics can be operationalized within human resource systems to foster sustainable high performance.

Keywords

psychological recovery, dynamic scheduling, organizational commitment, knowledge workers, JD-R model, performance optimization

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