Is it up to you? The moderating role of beliefs about willpower in the relationship between availability norms and control over leisure time via ego depletion

Organizations increasingly expect employees to be available outside of work hours, and this availability norm has been shown to influence nonwork life negatively. In the current study, we examined the effects of availability norms on employees' control over leisure time. We tested a conceptual model in which this association was mediated by ego depletion and moderated by beliefs about willpower. Knowledge workers (N = 404; 60% women) from a range of industries in Mainland China completed questionnaires in a two-wave survey with an interval of one month. The results showed that availability norms were negatively related to control over leisure time, and ego depletion was an explanatory mechanism of this association. This mediated process was stronger for employees who believed that willpower was a limited resource. These results extend our understanding of the recovery paradox and have practical implications for organizations and employees who are part of an “always-on” organizational culture.