Unfinished work tasks and work-related thoughts during off-job time: meta-analysis of the Zeigarnik effect in a work-recovery context.

BACKGROUND

In work and organizational psychology, substantial empirical evidence shows that unfinished tasks act as job stressors, impairing workers' recovery. Building on (Zeigarnik, B. (1927). Das Behalten erledigter und unerledigter Handlungen [The memory of completed and uncompleted actions]. Psychologische Forschung, 9, 1-85. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02409755) findings on memory advantages for incomplete tasks, we aimed to synthesize the relationships between unfinished work tasks and work-related thoughts during off-job time.

METHOD: We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis at the between-person level (k = 17, N = 2,473) and the within-person level (k = 14, N = 12,129). We meta-analytically tested potential study-related moderators (e.g., work-related thoughts assessment) and identified additional moderators through a qualitative review.

RESULTS

Unfinished work tasks were positively related to work-related thoughts during off-job time, with significantly stronger associations at the between-person (ρbetween = .382) than at the within-person level (ρwithin = .247). Associations were strongest for (affective) rumination as the outcome. Among the study characteristics, only the proportion of females emerged as a significant moderator. Additional moderators identified in the qualitative review included goal valence, action regulation and goal-related strategies, trait temporal focus, and supervisory performance expectations.

CONCLUSION

Unfinished work tasks are associated with increased work-related thoughts during off-job time, potentially hindering recovery. A more comprehensive theoretical integration of moderating factors is needed to advance understanding and inform intervention efforts.