Exploring the Relationship Between Commuting Stress, Job Strain and Safety Behaviors While Commuting: The Dual Role of Work-Related Rumination

For those who commute to and from work on a daily basis, this is an activity that requires attention to both what one is doing and the environment, in order for the commute to be done safely. Although research has shown that work can spill over into home and other non-work domains, very little attention has been paid to the impact that work may have on the transition time between one’s work and home domains. The present study sought to examine the impact of daily commuting stress and end-of-day job strain on the safety of one’s commute through the experience of work-related rumination. Data were collected via daily diaries administered over two working weeks from employees (N = 106) who worked full-time and commuted by private vehicle on a daily basis. Utilizing a daily diary approach allowed for the examination of both inter- and intra- individual variability in the study constructs of interest, in an effort to understand the dynamics of the hypothesized phenomena. Results indicate that at both the inter- and intra- individual levels, commuting stress impacts safety behaviors during the commute; and job strain spills over to impact safety behaviors while commuting, partially mediated by the experiences of work-related affective rumination. Furthermore, work-related affective rumination exacerbates the impact that an already stressful commute can have on one’s commuting safety behaviors. Findings suggest that the spillover between one’s work attitudes and experiences into the commute have the potential to impair the safety of employees outside the workplace