A groundbreaking new study conducted by researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), the University of Cyprus, and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki reveals the significant impact workplace appreciation has on employees’ ability to cope with the emotional consequences arising from illegitimate tasks. These are tasks employees perceive as either unnecessary or unreasonable, provoking feelings of ‘embitterment’—a potent emotional response to perceived workplace injustice that extends well beyond the confines of the office.
The investigation meticulously tracked a variety of factors among 71 employees across different industry sectors including accounting and finance. Over the course of five consecutive workdays, participants completed daily surveys that measured their experiences of embitterment, exposure to illegitimate tasks, appreciation from colleagues and supervisors, and the frequency of rumination—where negative thoughts related to work persist during off-job hours. This dynamic temporal design allowed the researchers to capture fluctuations in employees’ emotional and cognitive states with startling granularity.
Central to the findings is the identification of a corrosive cycle where unreasonable or unnecessary assignments exacerbate embitterment, which in turn fuels rumination during employees’ downtime. This rumination inhibits their psychological detachment from work, delaying emotional recovery and increasing the risk of sustained occupational stress. Embitterment, as conceptualized by the researchers, is not a transient irritation but a profound and persistent emotional state rooted in violations of fairness and respect.
What sets this study apart is its rigorous exploration of the buffering role that workplace appreciation plays in mitigating these adverse effects. On days when employees felt appreciated by their colleagues, the intensity of embitterment and subsequent rumination was markedly reduced. Appreciation, distinguished here as recognition from significant others within the workplace, serves as a potent psychological salve, offsetting the perceived injustices that illegitimate tasks impose.
The researchers delve further into the nuances of illegitimate tasks, categorizing unnecessary tasks as those perceived as irrelevant or purposeless—like preparing reports that go unread—which erode an employee’s sense of meaning and value. Unreasonable tasks, conversely, transgress expectations of role boundaries and capabilities, such as assigning complex duties to those lacking the requisite expertise, thereby instigating feelings of unfairness.
This differentiation enhances the field’s understanding of workplace stressors by demonstrating that not all illegitimate tasks are experienced equally. The emotional toll appears particularly severe when tasks breach deeply held norms of fairness and respect, activating embitterment to a degree that disrupts employees’ work-life balance and psychological wellbeing.
Professor George Michaelides, co-author and esteemed Work Psychology expert at UEA’s Norwich Business School, emphasizes the practical implications of these insights. He highlights the imperative for organizational leaders and supervisors to actively minimize unreasonable task assignments and foster a culture steeped in mutual appreciation. Through cultivating genuine recognition practices, companies can not only improve employee wellbeing but potentially enhance overall organizational resilience.
Lead author Dr. Evie Michailidis from the University of Cyprus echoes this sentiment, underscoring how pivotal appreciation is in breaking the detrimental chain leading from task illegitimacy to embitterment and impaired recovery. In her words, the absence of such appreciation allows illegitimate tasks to provoke an emotional spiral that seeps into employees’ private lives, undermining their ability to mentally disconnect and recuperate after work.
Methodologically, the study’s use of daily experience sampling surveys enriches the theoretical framework of occupational health psychology by illustrating the fluid interplay between workplace stressors, emotional reactions, and recovery processes on a day-to-day timescale. This temporal precision offers a window into how organizational dynamics influence employee wellbeing in real-time, rather than relying on retrospective accounts subject to recall bias.
Furthermore, the research delineates the boundary conditions under which appreciation is most effective, providing nuanced guidance to practitioners aiming to design interventions that bolster employee support systems. This suggests a paradigm shift in how organizations approach workplace stress—not solely by reducing job demands but by enhancing social resources that foster psychological resilience.
From a broader perspective, the study contributes to the growing literature on illegitimate tasks as occupational hazards that threaten professional identity and mental health. By empirically validating the protective function of workplace appreciation, it offers a compelling argument for integrating recognition and gratitude into the fabric of organizational culture as a strategic priority.
The implications extend beyond individual wellbeing, suggesting that mitigating embitterment through appreciation could reduce burnout rates, improve job satisfaction, and ultimately enhance productivity. As businesses navigate increasingly complex and stressful environments, nurturing a supportive collegial atmosphere emerges as a cornerstone of sustainable workforce management.
This study, published in the journal Work & Stress, pioneers a valuable intersection between the theory of occupational justice and the practical application of social support mechanisms. Its findings are a clarion call for organizations to reevaluate task assignment policies and invest in cultivating authentic appreciation to safeguard employee mental health in a post-pandemic work landscape.
In sum, the careful quantification of the emotional and cognitive outcomes resulting from illegitimate tasks underscores the profound psychological consequences of workplace fairness and recognition. By shining a light on embitterment’s daily ebbs and flows and the buffering shield provided by colleague appreciation, the study offers actionable insights with far-reaching implications for employee wellbeing and organizational health.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Daily workplace embitterment and work-related rumination during off-job time: Illegitimate tasks as antecedents and the buffering role of appreciation
News Publication Date: 14 May 2025
Web References:
References:
Michailidis, E., Xanthopoulou, D., & Michaelides, G. (2025). Daily workplace embitterment and work-related rumination during off-job time: Illegitimate tasks as antecedents and the buffering role of appreciation. Work & Stress. DOI: 10.1080/02678373.2025.2484761
Keywords: Workplace embitterment, illegitimate tasks, unreasonable tasks, unnecessary tasks, workplace appreciation, emotional wellbeing, occupational stress, work-related rumination, job recovery, employee recognition, occupational justice, psychological resilience
