Effects of Over- and Under-Work on Individual Attitudes and Well-Being

We investigate the effects of congruence and incongruence between preferred and actual levels of workload on individual job change behaviors and health outcomes through workplace attitudes. We propose differential effects for not only congruence (versus incongruence) but also for excess and deficient workload relative to preferences, and test these propositions in a multi-year, nationally representative dataset. We find overwork to be associated with lower time satisfaction, and underwork to be associated with lower wealth satisfaction. These attitudinal variables are then linked to levels of overall job satisfaction, and ultimately to job change decisions and health outcomes.