This study aims at resolving the inconsistent findings regarding the effects of time pressure on work engagement and personal resources by considering time pressure’s qualitative sources. Specifically, using the notion of statistical suppression, we argue that qualitative challenge and hindrance demands operate as suppressor variables and thus determine whether time pressure itself exerts a challenging or hindering potential. To test our assumptions, we conducted a daily diary study over the course of one workweek in a sample of 396 employees. We tested our hypotheses at the day-level. Results of multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that when controlling for qualitative challenge demands, time pressure positively related to exhaustion, but negatively related to work engagement and self-esteem. Suppression was significant. In contrast, when controlling for qualitative hindrance demands, time pressure was unrelated to work engagement, negatively related to self-esteem, and positively related to exhaustion, whereby qualitative hindrance demands did not act as a suppressor variable at the day-level. Additional analyses revealed that qualitative challenge and hindrance demands operated as suppressor variables at the person-level. In summary, when qualitative challenge demands were controlled for, time pressure operated as a hindrance demand. Yet, when qualitative hindrance demands were controlled for, time pressure operated as a challenge demand at the person-level. Our findings outline the need to account for the quality of work when assessing time pressure’s effects and further highlight the relevance of suppressor variables within the field of occupational health psychology.

本研究旨在通过考虑时间压力的定性来源来解决关于时间压力对工作投入和个人资源影响的不一致发现。具体来说，使用统计抑制的概念，我们认为定性挑战和阻碍需求作为抑制变量起作用，从而确定时间压力本身是否具有挑战性或阻碍性潜力。为了检验我们的假设，我们在一个工作周的过程中对 396 名员工的样本进行了每日日记研究。我们在白天测试了我们的假设。多层次结构方程模型的结果表明，在控制定性挑战需求时，时间压力与疲惫呈正相关，但与工作投入和自尊负相关。抑制是显着的。相比之下，在控制定性障碍需求时，时间压力与工作投入无关，与自尊负相关，与疲惫呈正相关，因此定性障碍需求在日常水平上没有起到抑制变量的作用。额外的分析表明，定性挑战和阻碍需求在个人层面作为抑制变量起作用。总而言之，当控制定性挑战需求时，时间压力作为阻碍需求发挥作用。然而，当质量障碍需求得到控制时，时间压力在个人层面上表现为挑战需求。我们的研究结果概述了在评估时间压力的影响时考虑工作质量的必要性，并进一步强调了职业健康心理学领域内抑制变量的相关性。