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Research suggests that work-related use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) after hours involves both harms and benefits for employee well-being. Yet, these findings are mainly based on examining the extent of ICT use as the focal construct of interest. Based on cognitive appraisal theories of stress, we argue that research needs to include individuals’ evaluation of their work-related ICT use after hours as well as the conditions shaping this appraisal to explain double-edged effects of ICT use on well-being. Thus, we investigate (1) how situational and personal factors influence whether work-related ICT use after hours is evaluated as positive or negative, and (2) how these factors and ICT use appraisal relate to employee well-being and recovery, beyond the extent of ICT use. We collected data in a daily diary study over five consecutive days. Multilevel path analyses with data from 51 employees …