Waking Up on the Wrong Side of the Desk: The Effect of Mood on Work Performance

While a lot of research has been done in the past two decades on work-family conflicts, few studies have looked closely at how mood affects performance. Wharton management professor Nancy Rothbard and co-author Steffanie Wilk wanted to find out which mood-altering events have the biggest effect, if any -- those that influence one's outlook at the start of the day, or those that nudge one's mood up or down as the workday advances. The results of the study are reported in their paper, "Walking in the Door: Sources and Consequences of Employee Mood on Work Performance." A key finding: The mood you bring with you to work has a stronger effect on the day's mood -- and on work performance -- than mood changes caused by events in the workplace.

[http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1531]