Transportation safety and organizational demands: the role of recovery on reducing distractions while commuting

Research goals and why the work was worth doing: The increasing availability of social media and technological devices provides people continuous stimuli for distractions while commuting (e.g., posting on social media, messaging, checking work notifications etc.), making the associated risks for the user significantly greater. Beyond knowledge about individual dimensions (e.g., risk perception), such distractions may be related to work. On the one hand, people may use distractions to recover from work when commuting to home. On the other hand, engaged individuals may start focusing on their phones even during their commuting. The present study aims to provide empirical knowledge on the relationship between recovery, sleep quality, exhaustion, and work engagement and the assumption of distracting behaviors while commuting. Theoretical background: According to the literature, there is a strong association between recovery and JD-R dimensions, with recovery as an antecedent of positive effects on work engagement and negative effects on exhaustion. Nevertheless, the literature around commuting and recovery is still sparse. Although there is a relationship between exhaustion and cell phone use as a form of recovery strategy, the literature lacks evidence about the association between work engagement and smartphone use while commuting. Design: The study hypothesis were tested using a diary study design. Daily diary data were collected for five consecutive workdays, twice a day: one for commuting from home to work and one for commuting from work to home. Accidental non-probability method was used to recruit employed individuals. In the questionnaire administered after work-home commuting, recovery from the previous workday and sleep quality were investigated. In the questionnaire administered after work-home commuting, dimensions of JD-R (i.e., job demands, job resources), and their outcomes (i.e., work engagement, work exhaustion) were investigated. In both questionnaires, information was collected regarding the intake of distracting behaviours while commuting (i.e., posting on social media, messaging, checking work notifications) and information regarding the means of transport used while commuting (i.e., by feet, by car, by bicycle, public transport). total 148 Italian employees who commuted to and from work completed the diary study. Results obtained or expected: We expect recovery and sleep quality to positively impact work engagement and negatively impact the exhaustion experienced at the end of the day. Relationships that, as predicted by the JD-R conceptual framework, we expect to be moderated by the ratio of work resources to work demands. In case of a balance between work resources and demands, we expect higher levels of engagement and, in case of imbalance, higher exhaustion. Finally, two assumptions are made. In the case of elevated levels of work engagement, we hypothesize that people use their cell phones more for work-related matters while commuting home, increasing the risks associated with such behaviours. Besides, high levels of exhaustion could lead people to use their phones more for recovery. Limitations: One of the main limitations is the use of self-reported measures to assess the study variables. Also, The possible individual difference in terms of "distractibility" or otherwise any form of propensity to use technological devices that, if used while commuting, can become risk factors was not considered at the time of data collection. In addition, to make the data collected more generalizable, it is necessary to repeat the study with a larger sample. Future studies should also consider replicating the present research model in different socio-cultural and socio-economic contexts, in order to consider the influence given by risk perception and different program of transportation safety. Conclusions – research and or practical implications: Exploring these relationships might help in identifying more precisely what elements contribute to the growing number of distraction-related accidents during home/work and work/home commuting. Based on the expected results, also it will be possible to provide more insights into the importance of managing the relationship between resources and work demands at work and its role in the risks of accidents while driving.