Working in Two Places at Once: A Theoretical Model of Place Lag and Its Consequences for Employee Wellbeing

In this dissertation, I explore how movement across physical work environments shapes employees’ psychological experiences and well-being. As multilocation work becomes increasingly common, employees frequently transition between settings such as offices, homes, and public workspaces. Although these arrangements offer flexibility, their psychological consequences remain poorly understood. I introduce the construct of place lag to capture the brief psychological delay that occurs when employees physically arrive in a new environment but have not yet fully reoriented cognitively, emotionally, or symbolically. I first define place lag and distinguish it from related constructs such as attention residue, reattachment, and cognitive load. I then develop a theoretical model proposing that multilocation work gives rise to place lag through two key mechanisms: incomplete reattachment and symbolic recalibration. I further argue that place lag has important implications for employee functioning, predicting higher burnout and lower work engagement and thriving. Finally, I examine placemaking skills as a potential moderator of these effects. Employing a multi-study approach, I empirically examine this model across several samples and methodologies. In Studies 1A–1C, I develop and validate a measure of place lag, establishing its content validity, factor structure, and initial nomological network. In Study 2, I examine multilocation work as a multidimensional construct, demonstrating that both structural and experiential features of spatial transitions predict place lag through incomplete reattachment and symbolic recalibration. In Study 3, I test the broader theoretical model using a multi-wave design, providing evidence that place lag predicts higher burnout and lower thriving over time, with more mixed effects for work engagement. I also examine the role of placemaking skills, finding that their effects depend on the broader structural conditions of multilocation work. Together, this research advances theory by introducing place lag as a novel mechanism linking the spatial structure of work to employee well-being. It also provides practical insight into how organizations can better design work arrangements and support employees in navigating increasingly distributed work environments.