The push to return to the office has sparked backlash — employees felt trusted to work remotely, so why take that control away? But what role does control play in mitigating or causing stress? And when is autonomy a bad thing? Professor Jia Lin Xie joined the Executive Summary to unpack how job demands, individual traits and culture shape our experience at work, and how to determine if complete control will be empowering or stress-inducing.

Show notes

[0:00] Meet professor Jia Lin Xie, an expert in job design, stress and employee well being. She’s in the middle of research exploring attitudes towards return to office.

[0:25] The pandemic gave employees control and autonomy over their work, and now many employees feel that control is being taken away by the RTO request. It turns out, once given, removing control can be detrimental. But should it always be given? 

[1:26] We’re working in a “boundaryless” world, where technology enables us to be always connected.

[1:56] Research shows boundarylessness can boost job satisfaction, but it also contributes to emotional exhaustion and stress.

[3:35] Those who struggle with boundarylessness might blame their person-environment (P-E) fit. 

[4:23] What happens when you have a “good” versus “bad” P-E fit? (Hint: it’s burnout!)

[4:48] Job demands — whether physical, cognitive, or emotional — can make or break your workplace experience.

[6:24] How does having control offset the risks of stressful job demands? 

[8:35] Jia Lin questioned the widely held theory that control is always a buffer to job demand stress.

[10:08] Control isn’t always a good thing; things that affect your control include your abilities to do a task…

[11:41] …your attribution style…

[11:59] … and even your cultural background can impact its effectiveness at buffering stress. Take the difference between American and Hong Kong bank tellers.

[14:20] So if you’re struggling with control and autonomy, and think it’s causing you stress, you have to reflect on why that is.

[16:11] So, how can you tell if having more control at work will help or hurt you? Jia Lin has some questions you can ask yourself.

[18:26] The takeaway? Control isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s about self-awareness, personal preferences, and the right support system.