This summary is provided by the IPR Organizational Communication Research Center
Dr. Ward van Zoonen and colleagues studied the effect of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on employees’ stress and workload outside regular work hours.
Researchers specifically focused on visibility (the degree to which communication is visible and accessible to others) and persistence (the degree of permanence of the communication).
A two-wave survey of 437 employees at a global industrial logistics company headquartered in a Nordic country was conducted in September 2019 and June 2020.
Key findings include:
— Employees who felt their technology use was highly visible to others were more likely to work outside of regular work hours.
—– Additional work outside of regular hours was linked with higher levels of stress.
— Employees who perceived workplace communication to be persistent were less likely to engage in work outside of regular hours.
—– Persistent communication was a helpful resource for employees and was linked to lower employee stress levels.
— Highly visible communication methods created pressure for employees.
— Employees who felt they couldn’t “turn off” experienced extra stress.
—– These employees felt that they needed to prove they were doing additional work through digital means.
Find the original study here.
