Work engagement and burnout in anticipation of physically returning to work: The interactive effect of imminence of return and self-affirmation

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many employees have spent a considerable amount of time being forced to work from home (WFH). We draw on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model and self-affirmation theory to study how the anticipation of returning to the physical workplace affects work engagement and burnout. We assumed that employees are conflicted about returning to work (RTW). Whereas they may look forward to RTW they also appreciate aspects of WFH which would have to be foregone. To evaluate whether the anticipation of RTW is generally experienced more positively or negatively, we examined the relationship between the perceived imminence of returning and the job attitudes of work engagement and burnout. Consistent with the view that the positive aspects of RTW outweighed the negative, imminence of RTW was positively associated with work engagement and negatively with burnout. These tendencies for greater imminence to lead to more favorable reactions were eliminated, however, when participants engaged in self-affirmation. The findings emerged immediately after the self-affirmation manipulation and were maintained six weeks later. We discuss implications for the literatures on JD-R, self-affirmation, job exits and re-entries, and wise interventions.