Technology plays a decidedly important role in our personal and professional lives. However, the current pandemic is catapulting us more than ever into the virtual world. Between virtual meetings and happy hours, online classes for children and relaxing with web series, screens and keyboards are with us every minute of the day. Fatigue, a sense of overload, anxiety whenever the phone vibrates and an uncontrollable need to check your emails are all reactions related to technostress. How can we stay connected without getting techno-stressed?
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This initiative was made possible through a collaboration with the Université de Sherbrooke and is supported by the Chief Scientist of Québec, with the Fonds de recherche du Québec.
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PH.D STUDENT
Justine Dima is a PhD student at Université Laval’s Faculty of Business Administration. Her thesis deals with the expectations and concerns of workers about the use of artificial intelligence as part of their jobs
WHAT IS MEANT BY:
* Adapted from Gaudioso et al. (2017)
Technostress
A state of psychological stress associated with the presence and intensity of stress factors related to the use of information technology (also known as techno-stressors). Techno-stressors can take many forms:
- Techno-insecurity: A feeling of insecurity caused by technology that poses the threat of job loss (e.g. being replaced by a new technology that does one’s job).
- Techno-uncertainty: A feeling of uncertainty about the technology one uses (e.g. learning to use new software introduced by the organization).
- Techno-complexity: A sense of incompetence generated by difficulties encountered using a new technology (e.g. having to devote time and effort to learn how to use a new computer).
- Techno-invasion: A feeling that technology is intruding and blurring the desired lines between work and other areas of life (e.g. family life).
- Techno-overload: A sense of overload caused by the efficiency and speed with which work requests are communicated via technologies such as smartphones.
Psychological stress
Stress experienced by workers resulting from the perception of stress factors in their work environment. This includes:
- Work-family conflict: When family and work demands compete or are incompatible.
- Workplace stress: A worker’s state of psychological stress when work demands threaten to exceed the resources and abilities the worker possesses to deal with them, leaving them feeling unable to properly meet demands.
Coping strategies
When workers experience stress, they try (consciously or otherwise) to manage and mitigate it, using coping strategies to reduce negative effects (e.g. burnout). There are two types of coping strategies, which differ in their effectiveness:
- Adaptive: A problem-focused response (e.g. learning to use a piece of software).
- Maladaptive: a response based on inaction, disengagement and denial (e.g. avoiding using a piece of software), which only makes a worker feel better temporarily.
Burnout
Depletion of a worker’s mental resources.
WHAT DO THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY TELL US?
1. Techno-invasion increases the risk of work-family conflicts.
The feeling that technology is taking over our lives (techno-invasion) exacerbates work-family conflict because we have less time to devote to our family and personal activities. The more hours a day employees work, the more they will experience work-family conflict and the less able they will be to use coping strategies to mitigate its negative effects.
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