Effect of work-related smartphone use after work on job burnout: Moderating effect of social support and organizational politics

Association between constant connectivity to work during leisure time and insomnia: does work engagement matter?

PURPOSE

The influx of communication media to contemporary workplaces has exposed workers to be always connected to their work. Constant connectivity to work (CCW) refers to the condition in which workers are always connected to work, even during their non-work hours, and are not detached from the work situation. We investigated the association between CCW and insomnia and the moderating effect of work engagement.

METHODS

A total of 29,512 nationally representative samples of workers in Korea were used. Insomnia was assessed by the Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The additive interaction between CCW and low work engagement was estimated by calculating Relative Excess Risk due to Interaction (RERI).

RESULTS

Exposure to CCW was related to insomnia (OR [95% CI] 1.33 [1.22-1.46]). Additionally, a significant negative interaction between CCW and work engagement was observed. The effects of CCW were mitigated in those with high work engagement. The OR of the combined effect of CCW exposure and low work engagement was 2.52 (95% CI 2.22-2.87). RERI between exposure to CCW and low work engagement was 0.69 (95% CI 0.38-0.99), indicating that there is a supra-additive interaction.

CONCLUSION

Our study found that CCW is related to an increased risk of insomnia and that high work engagement can mitigate the effect of CCW. Our study suggests that improving work engagement and disconnecting from work outside of work hours can help protect employees' sleep quality.

Beyond working hours: the association between long working hours, the use of work-related communication devices outside regular working hours, and anxiety symptoms

OBJECTIVES

The present study aimed to identify and compare the associations between long working hours and use of work-related communication devices outside regular working hours and anxiety symptoms, thereby providing insight into redefining working hours.

METHODS

Based on the cross-sectional data from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS), specifically the responses from 46 055 workers, the use of work-related communication devices outside of regular working hours, long working hours, and anxiety symptoms were assessed. To investigate the associations between using work-related communication devices outside regular working hours or long working hours with anxiety symptoms, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were calculated using multiple logistic regression models.

RESULTS

Among 46 055 participants, 25 659 (55.7%) used work-related communication devices outside working hours, 8145 (17.7%) worked long hours, and 2664 (5.8%) experienced anxiety symptoms. Compared with the reference group, those who used work-related communication devices outside regular working hours without working long hours, had higher OR of anxiety symptoms (OR: 2.18; 95% CI, 1.97-2.41) than those who worked long hours without using work-related communication devices during off-hours (OR: 1.32; 95% CI, 1.09-1.59). Furthermore, the group that both worked long hours and used work-related communication devices outside working hours exhibited the highest OR of anxiety symptoms (OR: 2.57; 95% CI, 2.24-2.97).

CONCLUSIONS

Using work-related communication devices outside regular working hours is associated with a higher risk of anxiety symptoms compared with long working hours. This result suggests that using work-related devices outside regular working hours, in addition to regular work time, should be considered when redefining working hours.

Digitalization in Urology-A Multimethod Study of the Relationships between Physicians' Technostress, Burnout, Work Engagement and Job Satisfaction

The potential influences of digitization on the mental health of personnel in the healthcare sector are increasingly coming into the scientific focus in the healthcare sector, especially in terms of the use of information and communication technologies. To date, there have been no German studies of the effects of technostress in healthcare. This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between technostress, burnout, work engagement, and job satisfaction among physicians in the field of urology. Data were collected via an online survey based on the job demands-resources model and the concept of technostress. The survey was sent to German urologists working in inpatient clinics. The participating physicians experienced moderate levels of technostress (M = 2.67, SD = 0.69). The results, based on a general linear model analysis, showed that technostress is significantly positively associated with burnout (β = 0.293; p < 0.001) and negatively associated with work engagement (β = -0.175; p < 0.001) and job satisfaction (β = -0.206; p < 0.001). This study also identified stress and strain factors associated with the use of ICT and assessed institutional support offers as coping mechanisms. The results of this study and its formulated practical implications can serve as a basis for discussing sustainable digitalization strategies in hospitals, taking into consideration technostress and its impact on physicians' burnout, work engagement and job satisfaction.

Strain, loss of time, or even gain? A systematic review of technology-based work extending and its ambiguous impact on wellbeing, considering its frequency and duration

Especially in knowledge-intensive professions, workers engage in work-related communication and access digital work content outside of working hours. Scientific research on technology-based work extending has flourished in recent decades, but yielded inconclusive results about its relationship with workers' wellbeing and focused on different temporal characteristics of the behaviour. Consequently, in this article, we address the question of whether different temporal characteristics of technology-based work extending, such as the frequency and duration of the behaviour, may have different consequences for workers' wellbeing. In the course of a systematic literature review, we analyzed 78 empirical studies published between 2007 and 2021 that investigate the relationship between the self-rated frequency and the self-rated duration of work extending behaviours and 14 wellbeing indicators. Whereas most studies examined the frequency of work extending behaviours and its consequences, only 19 studies examined the effects of its duration. Based on our findings, we propose three effects: The strain effect of frequent work extending, the gain effect of sustained work extending, and the loss-of-private-time effect inherent to work extending and independent from its frequency and duration. Our findings not only provide in-depth information on a widespread contemporary behaviour and its psychological implications, we also reveal research gaps and shed light on behaviours associated with role transitions and thus contribute to boundary theory.

A Person-Environment Fit Model to Explain Information and Communication Technologies-Enabled After-Hours Work-Related Interruptions in China

Given the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices and information and communication technologies (ICT), after-hours work-related interruptions (AHWI) occur anywhere and anytime in China. In the current study, an alternative person-environment (P-E) fit model of ICT-enabled AHWI, hereafter referred to as IAWI, that treats polychronic variables as moderated solutions are presented. A cross-sectional survey among 277 Chinese employees (average age: 32.04 years) was conducted in September 2022 and tested by PLS-structural equation modeling to validate our hypotheses. The results indicated that IAWI had a positive influence on employees' innovative job performance and in-role job performance (β = 0.139, p < 0.05; β = 0.200, p < 0.01; β = 0.298, p < 0.001). Moreover, among employees with higher levels of polychronicity, the heightened effects of IAWI on innovative job performance were increased (β = 0.112, p < 0.05). This study offers implications for employees: under IAWI situations, they could search for a person-environment (P-E) that is fit to buffer the negative aspects of IAWI, consequently increasing their innovative job performance and in-role job performance. Future research could extend beyond this framework to explore employees' IAWI and job performance balance.

Arbeitsanforderungen und Ressourcen der digitalen Mediennutzung bei Lehrkräften

Hintergrund

Die Nutzung digitaler Medien ist für einen Teil der Lehrkräfte mit einem erhöhten Belastungserleben verbunden. Stress, der durch negative Aspekte der digitalen Mediennutzung entsteht, wird unter dem Begriff „digitaler Stress“ oder „Technostress“ v. a. in internationalen Studien untersucht. Für deutsche Lehrkräfte ist die Befundlage hingegen rar. Dem gegenüberstehend scheint ein weiterer Teil der Lehrkräfte geringere Schwierigkeiten mit der fortschreitenden Implementierung digitaler Medien in den Schulalltag zu haben und stattdessen von den Vorteilen digitaler Medien zu profitieren. Empirisch vernachlässigt wurde dabei die Frage, inwiefern sich diese Vorteile als Ressource positiv auf Stress und Wohlbefinden der Lehrkräfte auswirken können.

Ziel

Ziel der Studie ist es, eine Zusammenstellung von potenziellen Einflussfaktoren der digitalen Mediennutzung auf Stress und Wohlbefinden von Lehrkräften aus Deutschland zu erhalten, diese datengeleitet zu strukturieren und hinsichtlich ihrer Wichtigkeit zu bewerten.

Methode

Es wurde die Group-concept-mapping(GCM)-Methode mit 44 angehenden Lehrkräften der Universität Koblenz-Landau durchgeführt.

Schlussfolgerung

Die erzielte Strukturierung zeigt in Verbindung mit der bewerteten Wichtigkeit die Bedeutung positiver Auswirkungen der digitalen Mediennutzung für das Wohlbefinden von Lehrkräften sowie die Relevanz schulischer Rahmenbedingungen auf.

Work-Related Smartphone Use at Night and Job Satisfaction: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model of Emotional Exhaustion and Organizational Dehumanization

Work-related smartphone use at night has attracted substantial research attention. Surprisingly, its impact on employees' job satisfaction is mixed. Based on the stressor-strain-outcome model, this study aims to examine whether emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship between work-related smartphone use at night and job satisfaction. Furthermore, the role of organizational dehumanization in moderating the relation between work-related smartphone use and emotional exhaustion, and the association between emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction, was examined. A total of 372 participants reported on two online surveys. Bivariate correlation results showed that work-related smartphone use was positively related to emotional exhaustion but there was no significant association between work-related smartphone use and job satisfaction. Moderated mediation analysis results suggested that organizational dehumanization (T1) did not interact with work-related smartphone use at night (T1) in predicting emotional exhaustion (T1). However, organizational dehumanization (T1) interacted with emotional exhaustion (T1) in predicting job satisfaction (T2), in which individuals who perceived higher organizational dehumanization reported lower job satisfaction under higher emotional exhaustion. The limitations and implications of this study are also discussed in this paper.

Smartphone Use Side-by-Side with Burnout: Mediation of Work-Family Interaction and Loneliness

The main objective of this investigation is to study the relationship between compulsive smartphone use and burnout, and the potential mediating effect of negative work−family interaction and loneliness in this relationship. An online questionnaire was applied to a sample of 228 Portuguese workers, from various sectors, aged between 19 and 60 years (mean = 32.32); (standard deviation = 9.25), mostly female (64.5%; n = 154). The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The main results show that the compulsive use of the smartphone is positively and expressively related (β = 0.258; p < 0.001) to burnout, with compulsive users reporting more symptoms of burnout. In addition, this study shows the mediating power of negative work−family interaction and loneliness, in the relationship between compulsive smartphone use and burnout, with this effect being positive and significant (B = 0.072; 95% CI [0.026; 0.145]; B = 0.068; 95% CI [0.008; 0.141]). These results highlight the need for individuals and organizations to use smartphones with caution, as well as reinforce that companies must develop a way to prevent and treat possible risk factors associated with this phenomenon.

Off-Time Work-Related Smartphone Use and Bedtime Procrastination of Public Employees: A Cross-Cultural Study

While previous studies have examined the negative effects of work-related smartphone use after hours, little is known about whether and how it influences employees’ unhealthy sleep behavior (i.e., bedtime procrastination). Drawing on the ego depletion theory, this study explored the effects of work-related smartphone use after hours on bedtime procrastination. To further uncover potential cross-cultural differences, a sample of 210 public employees from the United States and 205 public employees from China were used. Results via path analysis revealed that off-time work-related smartphone use positively influenced bedtime procrastination via the mediating role of self-control depletion. These findings were consistent between the United States and Chinese sample; however, off-time work-related smartphone use after hours increased the likelihood of self-control depletion more strongly in the United States than in China. The implications of our findings for both theory and practice were discussed.

Impact of Occupational Risks of Medical Staff on Willingness to Occupational Mobility in COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose

Medical staff are a crucial resource in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic but are vulnerable to both SARS-CoV-2 infection and negative psychological outcomes. This study evaluated medical staff’s occupational risks, professional identity, and occupational mobility intention during the pandemic.

Patients and Methods

The questionnaire was anonymous. All respondents were Chinese medical personnel.

Results

Our findings suggest that the professional risks faced by medical professionals can enhance their professional mobility willingness and weaken their professional identity. They cannot only directly enhance their professional mobility willingness but also indirectly strengthen their professional mobility willingness through professional identity. The objective support and subjective support obtained by medical professionals cannot only alleviate the negative impact of occupational risk on professional identity alone but also jointly, and in the process of their joint mitigation, the former has been internalized and absorbed, while the latter has a stronger mitigation effect. The objective support and subjective support obtained by medical professionals can neither alone nor jointly alleviate the direct and positive impact of occupational risk on the willingness of occupational mobility.

Conclusion

The occupational risks faced by medical personnel can improve their willingness to move professionally and weaken their occupational identity. Early screening of high-risk groups for turnover intention among health care workers and more psychosocial health care and physical protection are needed during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Smartphone use after work mediates the link between organizational norm of connectivity and emotional exhaustion: Will workaholism make a difference?

Using smartphone for work in off-work hours has been associated with negative employee outcomes. We postulate that: (1) organizational norm of connectivity precedes employees' work-related smartphone use after work, which predicts emotional exhaustion among employees; and (2) this process is moderated by employees' workaholism. We collected data from 399 full-time employees who completed six online surveys over 3 workdays to test our hypotheses. Multilevel path analysis of these data revealed that organizational norm of connectivity was more strongly related to smartphone use after work among employees with high workaholism compared to those with low workaholism. However, smartphone use was more strongly related to emotional exhaustion among those with low workaholism compared to those with high workaholism. In total, the indirect effect of organizational norm of connectivity on emotional exhaustion through work-related smartphone use after work was significant only for those with low workaholism. These findings highlight the role of organizational norm of connectivity and individual workaholism in the association of work-related smartphone use after work and negative employee outcomes. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Employees' Work-Related Well-Being during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Integrated Perspective of Technology Acceptance Model and JD-R Theory

Employees' work-related well-being has become one of the most significant interests of researchers and organizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines how job characteristics such as mental load and team support, and technology-related factors such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and technology acceptance, impact employees' work engagement as a dimension of work well-being. Data were collected through a sample of 610 academic employees from three Norwegian universities after COVID-19 restrictions were implemented. The structural model estimation showed that mental load, perceived team support, and technology acceptance were significantly related to work engagement. It also showed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and mental load were significantly related to technology acceptance. Furthermore, the analysis showed that technology acceptance partially mediates the relationship between job characteristics and work engagement, and fully mediates the relationship between technology-related perceptions and work engagement. Building on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and job demands-resources (JD-R) theory, this study provides insights into the effects of job-related and technology-related factors on remote workers' well-being. By doing so, we contribute to the existing literature by demonstrating how remote working with the use of newly implemented technologies can be related to employees' well-being during a pandemic.

[Do digital technologies at work impact mental health of employees?]

Hintergrund

Die traditionelle Arbeitsstressforschung identifizierte eine große Zahl von Stressoren. Die Technik als Stressquelle stand dagegen lange nicht im Fokus des Interesses.

Fragestellung

Dieser Artikel beschreibt das Konzept des Technostresses und diskutiert mögliche Risiken und Chancen digitaler Technologien bei der Arbeit und deren Auswirkungen auf die psychische Gesundheit.

Material und Methode

Übersicht zur Konzeptualisierung von Technostress, potenzieller Wirkmechanismen und Zusammenfassung empirischer Ergebnisse zum Einfluss auf die psychische Gesundheit.

Ergebnisse

Bisher wurden mehrere Domänen von Technostress definiert. Obgleich die Evidenzbasis schmal ist und Studien mit methodischen Einschränkungen behaftet sind, so legen erste Ergebnisse zumindest nahe, dass sich bestimmte Arten von technischem Stress bei der Arbeit ungünstig auf die psychische Gesundheit auswirken können. Zugleich können digitale Technologien auch positive Auswirkungen auf das psychische Wohlbefinden von Arbeitnehmern haben, wenn sie z. B. eine bessere Arbeitsorganisation ermöglichen.

Schlussfolgerung

Die Digitalisierung der Arbeit scheint sowohl Chancen als auch Risiken für die psychische Gesundheit der Beschäftigten zu haben. Implikationen für weitere Forschung in diesem sich entwickelnden Feld werden herausgearbeitet.

Perception of Purposeful and Recreational Smartphone Use in Physiotherapy: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Many people constantly use their smartphones in all kinds of situations. Often smartphones are used in a meaningful and targeted way, but frequently they are used as a pastime without any purpose. This also applies to patients and therapists in treatment situations.

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate how purposeful smartphone use compared with recreational smartphone use (by a physiotherapist or by a patient) influenced the perception of a physiotherapeutic treatment situation. We examined the impact of smartphone use during a physiotherapy session on the perception of the physiotherapist, evaluation of attentiveness, and evaluation of smartphone use in physiotherapy in general.

Methods

Members of various music and sports clubs were invited to participate in an online randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. They watched a video in which a physiotherapeutic treatment was shown and in which a smartphone was used or not used in the following four different ways: (1) therapeutically purposeful use, (2) recreational use by the physiotherapist (looking at the phone from time to time with no therapeutic purpose), (3) recreational use by the patient, and (4) no smartphone use (control condition). After watching the video, the participants indicated their perception of the physiotherapist’s professional competence, social competence, and empathetic behavior. They also rated the physiotherapist’s and patient’s attentiveness and evaluated the usage of smartphones generally in physiotherapy.

Results

The analysis included 118 participants (63 women and 55 men). When the physiotherapist used the smartphone in a purposeful way, the physiotherapist was perceived as more professionally competent (P=.007), socially competent (P=.03), and empathetic (P=.04) than if the physiotherapist used it with no therapeutic purpose. These effects occurred because recreational smartphone use by the physiotherapist was evaluated more negatively than the behavior in the control condition (professional competence: P=.001; social competence: P=.03; empathy: P=.04). Moreover, when the physiotherapist used the smartphone in a recreational way, the physiotherapist was perceived as being less attentive (P<.001). Likewise, when the patient used the smartphone in a recreational way, the patient was perceived as being less attentive (P<.001). Finally, smartphone use in physiotherapy was rated as more positive in general when the smartphone was used in a purposeful way compared with the conditions in which the physiotherapist or patient looked at the smartphone with no therapeutic purpose (P<.001). This positive evaluation occurred because purposeful use led to a more positive rating than no smartphone use (P<.001, R=0.42).

Conclusions

Smartphones are only appropriate for therapists and patients if they are used directly for a therapeutic purpose. Otherwise, it is better not to use smartphones during treatment.

Trial Registration

AsPredicted (aspredicted.org) #24740; https://aspredicted.org/blind.php?x=vv532i

Overwhelmed by Technostress? Sensitive Archetypes and Effects in Times of Forced Digitalization

This paper explores technostress and its dimensions, assessing the relationship with possible negative effects in the individual, social and professional sphere. The study uses a self-reported approach of undergraduate students in Spain (n = 337), forced to follow their academic life by using technology comprehensively because of social distancing, as a public health action necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The analysis, based on the exploration of a system of archetypes of the use of social networks, presents insights into contemporary technostress management as a new approach that can suppose opportunities for the optimization of prevention plans. Pearson's correlation coefficients and structural equation modeling based on partial least squares (SEM-PLS) were the methods used for achieving the goals. The results reveal valid and reliable measures where technostress has a high impact on the individual sphere of students and there is a significant relationship between the type of user and techno-anxiety. The conclusions point to the imperative for developing a deeper understanding of technostress by archetypes, in both a higher education context (as antecedent) and the world of work, in an irreversible move towards a digital economy.

Relationships between Social Support, Social Status Perception, Social Identity, Work Stress, and Safety Behavior of Construction Site Management Personnel

The occupational injury death rate and mortality ratio owing to cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases in the construction industry are the highest among all industries in Taiwan. Reducing work stress and improving safety behavior is a must for reducing occupational disasters and diseases. Construction site management personnel’s safety behavior is an important paradigm for construction workers. This study explored the relationships among work stress, safety behavior, professional identity, social status perception, and social support for construction site management personnel by using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicated that low work stress can lead to favorable safety behavior. Greater company support, family support, and professional identity reduce work stress. Social status perception negatively influences work stress indirectly through the mediation of professional identity. The results revealed that construction site management personnel working within an exempt employee system (i.e., no overtime pay and compensatory leave) exhibited a significantly higher effort/reward ratio than those without this system. Gender, headquarter location, and site location also significantly influenced the on-site management personnel’s effort/reward ratio.

Risk Factors and Leadership in a Digitalized Working World and Their Effects on Employees' Stress and Resources: Web-Based Questionnaire Study

Background

In today’s world of work, the digitalization of work and communication processes is increasing, and will increase even further. This increase in digitalization at the workplace brings many new aspects of working life to light, such as working in virtual teams, mobile working, expectations of being constantly available, and the need for support in adapting and learning new digital tools. These changes to the workplace can contain risks that might harm the well-being of employees. Leaders can support the well-being of their employees in terms of protecting and replenishing their work-related resources to cope with critical work demands. This so-called health-promoting leadership could serve as a buffer between risk at the workplace and critical outcomes, such as stress, by amplifying work-related resources.

Objective

This study’s aims were twofold. First, we wanted to investigate if risk factors related to higher digitalization at the workplace can be identified and if these risk factors have an impairing effect on the well-being of employees (eg, higher stress and lower resources). Second, we wanted to investigate if the health-impairing effects of these risk factors can be reduced by health-promoting leadership.

Methods

A total of 1412 employees from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland took part in this online study and provided information on their perceived risks at the workplace, their leaders’ health-promoting behaviors, and their work-related stress and resources.

Results

The results of a hierarchical regression analysis showed that all four risk factors of digital work (distributed team work, mobile work, constant availability, and inefficient technical support) were related to higher stress at the workplace. In addition, distributed team work and inefficient technical support were associated with lower work-related resources. A possible buffer effect of health-promoting leadership between these risks and employee well-being was visible for inefficient technical support. In particular, in the case of having fewer support opportunities in learning and using digital tools, leaders could weaken the potential critical effects on stress. As for the other risk factors, leaders might engage in a different leadership behavior to improve their employees’ well-being, as the physical distance between leaders and employees in virtual team work or mobile work could make health-promoting leadership more difficult.

Conclusions

In a digitalized working world, solutions are needed to create working conditions that benefit employees. The results of this study strongly support the importance of investigating risk factors associated with an increase in digitalization at the workplace in addition to traditional risk factors. As for leadership, leaders need to show leadership behavior adapted to a digitalized workplace in order to reduce employee stress and increase work-related resources.

Technostress at work and mental health: concepts and research results

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The ongoing digitalization has profound consequences for work in modern economies. It is, therefore, important to investigate if digital technologies increase stress at work (i.e. 'technostress') and lead to impaired mental health. This article describes the concept of technostress and discusses possible risks and opportunities of digital technologies at work and their effect on mental health.

RECENT FINDINGS

Studies report that the use of digital technologies is associated with specific psychosocial demands (e.g. higher workload, complexity, conflicts between work and other life domains) and resulting psychobiological stress reactions. It is, however, still unclear if this kind of technostress causes mental disorders because epidemiological studies are missing. Yet, an increasing number of studies suggests that well designed digital work may promote good health if it optimizes work organization or enables greater flexibility, and increases control and autonomy at work.

SUMMARY

Digitalization of work seems to have both opportunities and risks for the mental health of employees. The number of studies is currently limited and further research is necessary to describe the advantages and disadvantages more precisely.