Sleepless and Disconnected: How Rigid Rules Turn Exhaustion into Withdrawal at Work

What is it about?

This study explores how work-induced insomnia undermines employees’ motivation to go beyond formal duties, reducing organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Grounded in Conservation of Resources theory, it explains that sleep deprivation depletes psychological resources—self-worth and emotional energy—making employees less willing or able to engage in extra-role behaviors. When work pressures continually disrupt rest, employees may cope by emotionally distancing themselves from the organization and its leaders. Using survey data from employees in Angola’s oil distribution sector, the study finds that depersonalization of leaders links insomnia to reduced organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Sleep-deprived employees may see their fatigue as proof that management neglects their well-being, leading to detachment and lower discretionary effort. This effect intensifies under high job formalization, where rigid rules and limited flexibility amplify exhaustion and further suppress helpfulness and cooperation. The findings highlight how structural rigidity can turn fatigue into disengagement. Organizations that impose tight formal controls risk intensifying the psychological toll of overwork, transforming physical exhaustion into emotional withdrawal. Managers can protect employee commitment by promoting flexibility, rest, and trust-based communication, helping workers sustain motivation even under demanding conditions.

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Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is unique in showing how work-induced insomnia undermines organizational citizenship behavior through depersonalization, and how job formalization strengthens this detrimental process. By combining psychological depletion with structural constraint, it extends COR theory to reveal how resource loss from exhaustion interacts with rigid job design to accelerate withdrawal from prosocial work behavior. It is also timely, as many employees worldwide face burnout and disrupted sleep due to escalating work demands and tight procedural oversight. Conducted in Angola, where collectivist values coexist with hierarchical structures, the study provides critical insight into how cultural and organizational rigidity can magnify stress responses. It underscores the urgency for organizations to balance formal controls with empathy and flexibility, ensuring that the quest for efficiency does not silence employees’ willingness to contribute beyond their roles.