ABSTRACT
Work is a fundamental condition of human life, but it can become dysfunctional because in certain situations it may lead to undesirable and harmful consequences. In this context, recovery from work (recovery) is conceived as a counterpoint to the straining processes to which the employee is exposed in the workplace. Among the different recovery strategies adopted by workers, those carried out outside working hours are especially relevant. Scientific interest in this filed is evidenced by the publication of numerous systematic reviews in recent years. The aim of this study is to shed light and provide evidence on the results of the systematic reviews carried out to date. Thus, it was conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on work recovery outside working hours. To this end, a systematic search of potentially relevant documents was implemented in six databases, both thematic and multidisciplinary. Eight systematic reviews and meta-analyses that met the established inclusion criteria were retrieved. The content analysis of the selected papers enabled us to identify different approaches to the study of external work recovery: (a) time period;(b) work characteristics;(c) recovery experiences;(d) recovery activities;(e) processes that hinder effective recovery;and (f) variables proxy to the recovery process. Likewise, the main considered substantive occupational and psychosocial variables were systematized. It is discussed the scarce attention paid in the reviewed studies to possible cultural differences that could potentially influence the recovery process. Furthermore, no research has made special reference to the COVID-19 pandemic in work recovery, nor to the potential influence of new emerging work realities such as teleworking or co-working.