Work interruptions’ dual nature: linking need frustration, engagement and well-being with the roles of social exchange quality and work meaningfulness

Purpose This study aims to examine how self-focused and other-focused work interruptions are related to work engagement and well-being through an integrative framework grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) and how relational and motivational factors shape these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Using convenience sampling, the authors collected online survey data on a voluntary basis from 495 full-time employees working in different organizations. Findings Findings reveal work interruptions’ dual nature. Other-focused performance and hedonic interruptions positively related to engagement, and other-focused hedonic interruptions also linked to well-being. All interruption types had negative indirect effects on engagement via need frustration, while self-focused and other-focused hedonic interruptions negatively impacted well-being through competence and relatedness frustration. Self-focused interruptions showed no direct effects, but self-focused hedonic interruptions had negative overall effects. Social exchange quality buffered the link between self-focused performance interruptions and need frustration. Work meaningfulness moderated autonomy frustration’s impact, but high meaningfulness-maintained engagement despite frustration and autonomy frustration lowered well-being only when meaningfulness was high. Originality/value Extending insights from the job demands–resources (JD-R) and conservation of resources (COR) frameworks, these results underscore the significant role of interruptions and identify the psychological mechanisms and boundary conditions through which they relate to employee outcomes.