The social and health implications of digital work intensification. Associations between exposure to information and communication technologies, health and work ability in different socio-economic strata

Cross-sectional analysis of the association between information and communication technology and mental health among Korean workers

BACKGROUND

The adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) has been the fastest and most widespread in the South Korean workplace. While ICT has several advantages, it can also cause stress among workers. However, the relationship between the introduction of ICT in the workplace and mental health problems among Korean workers remains unclear.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data obtained from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). In total, 40,019 participants answered a question about whether ICT had been introduced in their workplace. Among these, we compared the rate of complaints of mental health disorders between those who answered "yes" (n = 3,250) and those who answered "no" (n = 36,769). We analyzed the data using the SAS statistical software and calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for anxiety, insomnia, and depression using multiple logistic regression models. We also stratified the data on Korean workers to assess the impact of ICT on subgroups.

RESULTS

In our nationally representative cohort, on experiencing ICT incorporation at work, 384 participants (11.8%) reported anxiety, 138 (4.2%) reported insomnia, and 296 (9.1%) reported depression. In contrast, among participants who did not have access to ICT, 1,929 (5.2%) reported anxiety, 702 (1.9%) reported insomnia, and 4,404 (12.0%) reported depression. The ORs (95% CIs) for anxiety and insomnia complaint rates were 2.47 (2.19-2.79) and 2.55 (2.10-3.10), respectively, among workers who experienced new ICT adaptations in comparison with those who did not. However, no significant relationship was observed between ICT adoption and depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The causes of mental health problems in the workplace should be identified and addressed. We found that the introduction of ICT in the workplace was significantly related to anxiety and insomnia symptoms among Korean workers, after controlling for the selected covariates. This information can be used to identify subgroups in the workplace that are vulnerable to ICT changes and tailor interventions to their social and demographic profiles.

Work intensification: A systematic review of studies from 1989 to 2022

BACKGROUND

Work intensification can lead to both work-related and non-work-related outcomes that positively and negatively affect the employee, organization, and job in question. The criticality of this phenomena necessitates conducting a systematic review to capture the essence of the extant literature.

OBJECTIVE

This paper presents a systematic review of the literature on work intensification from 1989 to 2022. It reviews the conceptualization of the construct, explores the factors influencing work intensification, identifies its outcomes, moderators, and mediators, and provides a review of the theories that have been used to support the phenomena of work intensification.

METHODS

The systematic review employed the PRISMA approach to screen 2823 records from the Web of Science database and extract 74 quantitative studies for final examination.

RESULTS

Firstly, work intensification has primarily been conceptualized through various constructs such as workload, long work hours, and time pressure. Secondly, there are well-established positive and negative outcomes associated with work intensification, either directly or through mediators. Thirdly, both the conservation of resource theory and the job-demands resource theory are widely utilized to support models related to work intensification.

CONCLUSION

The study urges practitioners to enhance their efforts in effectively managing employees' intensified work demands, particularly in relation to work overload, working hours, and time pressure. By addressing these factors, organizations can minimize negative outcomes and promote positive consequences.

Can welfare states buffer technostress? Income and technostress in the context of various OECD countries

Many workers are experiencing the downsides of being exposed to an overload of information and communication technology (ICT), highlighting the need for resources to cope with the resulting technostress. This article offers a novel cross-level perspective on technostress by examining how the context of the welfare state influences the relationship between income and technostress. Showing that individuals with higher income experience less technostress, this study argues that the welfare state represents an additional coping resource, in particular in the form of unemployment benefits. Since unemployment benefits insure income earners in the case of job loss, the negative effect of income on technostress should increase with higher levels of unemployment generosity. In line with these expectations, empirical results based on original survey data collected in collaboration with the OECD show that the impact of income on technostress varies across welfare state contexts. Implications for public health and policymakers are being discussed.

Transformation to Industrial Artificial Intelligence and Workers' Mental Health: Evidence From China

This study matches data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) with data on the transformation to industrial artificial intelligence (AI) in cities to explore the effect of this transformation on workers' mental health and its underlying mechanisms in China. The findings show the following (1). The transformation to industrial AI effectively alleviates multiple mental health problems and improves workers' mental health (2). Work intensity and wage income play an intermediary role in the relationship between the industrial AI transformation and workers' mental health (3). Potential endogeneity problems in the relationship between industrial AI and workers' mental health are considered, and robustness tests are conducted (including changing the dependent variables, independent variables and regression models). The main results and impact mechanisms remain robust and reliable. This study extends the research on the relationship between industrial AI and workers' health, which has important theoretical implications. Additionally, based on the Chinese context, this research has important implications for the current AI transformation in developing countries. Transition economies with labor shortages can achieve a win-win situation by promoting industrial AI to fill the labor gap and improve workers' mental health.

Healthy and Happy Working from Home? Effects of Working from Home on Employee Health and Job Satisfaction

In addition to its catastrophic health effects, the COVID-19 pandemic also acts as a catalyst for new forms of work. Working from home (WFH) has become commonplace for many people worldwide. But under what circumstances is WFH beneficial and when does it increase harms to health? The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of specific characteristics of WFH for health (work ability, stress-related physical and psychological symptoms) and job satisfaction among German employees. The study is based on data from a Germany-wide panel survey with employees from different industries (n = 519). Using multiple regressions, it was found that the functionality of the technical equipment at home has positive effects on the health of employees (i.e., ability to work, stress-related symptoms) and job satisfaction. The percentual weekly amount of WFH influences stress-related symptoms, i.e., a higher amount of weekly working time WFH, was associated with more stress-related symptoms. Furthermore, it negatively influences job satisfaction. The feeling of increased autonomy leads to positive effects on employees' job satisfaction. The results provide starting points for interventions and indicate the need for legal regulations for WFH. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The association between digitalization and mental health: The mediating role of wellbeing at work

The study aims to measure the mediating relationship of wellbeing at work between digitalization (IT infrastructure, IT business spanning, and IT proactive stance) and their effect on mental health. The study uses primary data collection techniques to gather data and used purposive sampling to analyze the data. The sample size of the study is 349 respondents. The research uses Smart PLS software to measure the relationship through bootstrapping and algorithms. The study finds a significant positive mediating role of wellbeing between digitalization (IT infrastructure, IT business spanning, and IT proactive stance) and their effect on mental health. The study outcomes are helpful for managers and policymakers.

How Are Techno-Stressors Associated with Mental Health and Work Outcomes? A Systematic Review of Occupational Exposure to Information and Communication Technologies within the Technostress Model

The technostress model has introduced different factors to consider when assessing how information and communication technologies impact individuals in different work settings. This systematic review gathers evidence regarding associations between occupational exposure to technostress and health or work outcomes. In addition, we highlight typical methodological constraints of the technostress model. We conducted electronic literature searches in June 2020 (PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, PsycArticles) and independently screened 321 articles. We report on 21 articles meeting eligibility criteria (working population, technostress exposure, health or work outcome, quantitative design). The most frequently examined techno-stressors, i.e., factors of technostress, were techno-overload and techno-invasion. Techno-stressors were consistently associated with adverse health and work outcomes, apart from a positive impact on work engagement. However, studies may be subject to considerable conceptual overlap between exposure and outcome measures. Future technostress research would benefit from reducing heterogeneity in technostress measures, assessing their external validity and focussing on specific techno-stressors.

Is There a Sampling Bias in Research on Work-Related Technostress? A Systematic Review of Occupational Exposure to Technostress and the Role of Socioeconomic Position

Technostress is a widespread model used to study negative effects of using information communication technologies at work. The aim of this review is to assess the role of socioeconomic position (SEP) in research on work-related technostress. We conducted systematic searches in multidisciplinary databases (PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, PsycArticles) in June 2020 and independently screened 321 articles against eligibility criteria (working population, technostress exposure, health or work outcome, quantitative design). Of the 21 studies included in the narrative synthesis, three studies did not collect data on SEP, while 18 studies operationalised SEP as education (eight), job position (five), SEP itself (two) or both education as well as job position (three). Findings regarding differences by SEP are inconclusive, with evidence of high SEP reporting more frequent exposure to overall technostress. In a subsample of 11 studies reporting data on educational attainment, we compared the percentage of university graduates to World Bank national statistics and found that workers with high SEP are overrepresented in nine of 11 studies. The resulting socioeconomic sampling bias limits the scope of the technostress model to high SEP occupations. The lack of findings regarding differences by SEP in technostress can partly be attributed to limitations in study designs. Studies should aim to reduce the heterogeneity of technostress and SEP measures to improve external validity and generalisability across socioeconomic groups. Future research on technostress would benefit from developing context-sensitive SEP measures and quality appraisal tools that identify socioeconomic sampling biases by comparing data to national statistics.