Workplace anxiety and employee well-being

“Technological overshoot” and “hyperconnectivity” are harming worker well-being, study finds.

NOTTINGHAM, England — Think about the last time you checked your work email after hours. Do you feel like scanning your inbox frequently while on vacation? A new study from the University of Nottingham suggests that these digital intrusions could have detrimental consequences for employee well-being.

The research, published in Frontiers of organizational psychologyexplores what researchers call the “dark side” of digital workplaces: the hidden psychological and physical costs of being constantly connected to work through technology. While digital tools have enabled greater flexibility and collaboration, they have also created new challenges for organizations to address.

Researchers have identified a phenomenon they call “digital workplace technology intensity” (DWTI). It’s the mental and emotional effort required to navigate constant connectivity, manage information overload, deal with technical difficulties, and deal with the fear of missing important updates or connections on location. digital work.

“Digital workplaces benefit both organizations and employees, for example by enabling collaborative and flexible working,” explains Elizabeth Marsh, an ESRC doctoral student from the School of Psychology who led the qualitative study, in a press release. “However, what we found in our research is that there is a potential dark side to digital working, in which employees may experience fatigue and tension due to overload from demands and pressures. intensity of the digital work environment. A feeling of pressure to constantly be connected and keep up with messages can make it difficult to psychologically detach from work.

Rise of “productivity anxiety”

To understand these challenges, the research team conducted in-depth interviews with 14 employees in various positions and industries. Attendees, ranging in age from 27 to 60, included store managers, software engineers and other professionals, providing insight into how digital workplace demands are affecting different types of work.

The researchers identified five key themes that characterize the challenges of digital work. The first is “hyperconnectivity”. They define this as a state of constant connection to work via digital devices that erodes the boundaries between work and personal life. As one participant explained: “It kind of feels like you have to be there all the time. It has to be a little green light.

This always-on culture has given rise to what the study reveals is “productivity anxiety,” or workers’ fear of being seen as unproductive when working remotely. One participant described this pressure directly: “It’s this pressure to respond (…) I got an email, I have to do it quickly because otherwise someone might think ‘What the hell?’ Does she do it from home?’ »

FOMO Leads to Workplace Overwhelm

The study also identified “technological overwhelm,” in which workers struggle with the sheer volume of communications and digital platforms they must manage. Participants described feeling bombarded by emails and overwhelmed by the proliferation of messages, apps, and meetings in the digital workplace.

Technical difficulties, which researchers called “digital workplace hassles,” emerged as another significant source of stress. The study found that these challenges were particularly important for older workers and people with disabilities, highlighting important accessibility concerns that organizations must address.

The research also revealed an interesting pattern around fear of missing out (FoMO) in professional settings. Although digital tools are intended to improve communication, many participants expressed concern about missing important updates or opportunities to connect with colleagues.

“This research expands the literature on work demands and resources by clarifying the job demands of the digital workplace, including hyperconnectivity and overload,” says Dr Alexa Spence, professor of psychology at Nottingham. “It also brings a new construct of technological intensity of the digital workplace that adds new insights into the causes of technostress in the digital workplace.” In doing so, it highlights the potential impacts of digital work on health, both mental and physical.

Disconnect from the connected world

The study’s findings are particularly relevant in our post-pandemic times, where the boundaries between office and home have become increasingly blurred. As one participant noted, “(It’s) harder to leave all that behind when everything is online and you can kind of jump in and work at any time of the day or night. »

Based on these findings, the research team developed several practical recommendations for employers:

• Helping employees develop better digital workplace skills
• Empower workers to establish and maintain work-life boundaries
• Improving the usability and accessibility of digital work tools
• Combat the proliferation of apps and platforms that can overwhelm workers
• Better understand employees’ individual needs and preferences when it comes to digital working

These recommendations aim to help organizations create healthier digital workplaces while retaining the benefits of technological advancements.

In an irony that would be amusing if it weren’t so disturbing, the very tools designed to make work easier and more efficient seem to create new forms of stress and tension for many employees. As organizations continue to engage in digital transformation, they would do well to remember that behind every “little green light” is a human being who sometimes needs to disconnect, recharge and find peace in an increasingly connected world.