Relations between Technostress, Resilience and Work-Family Conflict

Given the benefits and gains that Information and Communication Technologies – ICT provide, the use of these resources has become intense in companies and in Latin America due to the expressive adoption of mobile technologies and social networks. However, ICT has generated some negative effects: f.i. technological stress in professionals, or technostress. This study analyzed two stressors over Work - Family conflict and the interaction effect of resilience. Based on data from 656 subjects, our results shows that Techno-overload and Techno-invasion are stress factors that may cause work-family conflicts to workers. In addition, this study reveals that individual resilience exerts attenuating influence over Techno-invasion. No differences were found when demographic and personal characteristics were analyzed, such as gender, age, marital status, children, professional experience and commute time. Dados los beneficios y ganancias que brindan las Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones, el uso de estos recursos se ha vuelto intenso en las empresas y en América Latina debido a la adopción expresiva de las tecnologías móviles y las redes sociales. Las tecnologías mejoraron la calidad y la productividad en la rutina de los trabajadores, pero su uso excesivo también ha generado problemas como el estrés tecnológico en los profesionales, o el tecno-estrés. Este estudio analizó dos estresores tecnológicos sobre el conflicto Trabajo - Familia en los trabajadores y la acción de la resiliencia del trabajador en las relaciones entre estas variables. A partir del análisis de los datos de 656 participantes, este estudio muestra que la sobrecarga y la invasión de la privacidad tecnológica son factores estresantes que provocan conflictos personales al trabajador. Además, el estudio revela que la resiliencia individual ejerce una influencia atenuante sobre la tecno-invasión, lo que puede explicar la convivencia del empleado con la incomodidad de su trabajo. No se encontraron diferencias en los resultados al controlar las características demográficas y personales de los trabajadores, como sexo, edad, estado civil, número de hijos, tiempo de permanencia en casa y tiempo de desplazamiento al trabajo. Dado os benefícios e ganhos que as Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação proporcionam, o uso desses recursos se tornou intenso nas empresas e na América Latina pela expressiva adoção das tecnologias móveis e redes sociais. Nesse sentido, as tecnologias melhoraram a qualidade e a produtividade na rotina dos trabalhadores, mas seu uso excessivo também gerou problemas como o estresse tecnológico nos profissionais, ou tecnoestresse. Este estudo analisou dois estressores tecnológicos sobre o conflito Trabalho – Família nos trabalhadores e a ação da resiliência do trabalhador nas relações entre essas variáveis. A partir da análise dos dados de 656 participantes, este estudo evidencia que a sobrecarga e a invasão de privacidade tecnológicas são fatores estressores que provocam conflitos pessoais ao trabalhador. Além disso, o estudo revela que a resiliência individual exerce influência atenuante na tecnoinvasão, o que pode explicar a convivência do funcionário com os incômodos de seu trabalho. Não foram encontradas diferenças nos resultados quando controladas as características demográficas e pessoais dos trabalhadores como, gênero, idade, estado civil, quantidade de filhos, tempo de casa e tempo de deslocamento ao trabalho

Då smarttelefonen segrade över samtalet : en kvalitativ studie om hur vuxna upplever att smarttelefonen påverkar deras närmaste sociala relationer

Smarttelefonerna finns överallt i dag och forskningen kring deras effekter på människan breddas ständigt. En stor del av forskningsfältet riktar sig ändå mot telefonernas fysiska eller psykiska effekter. I denna avhandling ligger fokus i stället på de sociala effekterna. Syftet med denna avhandling är att genom kvaltitativa, individuella intervjuer ta fasta på om och hur i så fall vuxna personer upplever att smarttelefonerna påverkar deras sociala relationer. Fokus ligger på de allra närmaste relationerna, och på hur kommunikationen till ens närstående påverkas av att smarttelefonen flyttat in som en tredje part i relationen. Datamaterialet består av intervjuer med åtta vuxna finlandssvenskar i arbetsför ålder. I samband med dataanalysen har materialet kategoriserats enligt sex huvudkategorier. Huvudkategorierna är baserade på centrala teman som informanterna på sätt eller annat betonat under intervjuernas gång. Dessa huvudteman är telefonen stör sociala stunder, fördelarna väger tyngre, phubbing gör ont, telefonkontakt är ytligare, olika skärmtider skapar relationsproblem och framtida användningen oroar. Syftet med denna avhandling är inte att ta fram generaliserbara resultat, utan att bredda synen på hur vuxna personer kan uppleva smarttelefonernas intåg i vardagslivet. Resultatet av studien visar att smarttelefonerna upplevs som mycket fördelaktiga i vardagen och ingen av informanterna är redo att avstå från sin smarttelefon. Däremot upplevs telefonerna som hinder och problemskapare då de flyttar in i de sociala stunderna och då ens närstående väljer smarttelefonen framom en själv. Det gör ont att bli dissad på grund av en smarttelefon och sådant tär på såväl kommunikationen som relationen. Inför framtiden önskas därför mer telefonfri tid och social samvaro utan risk för att komma på andra plats efter en telefon

Cyberloafing and Technostress: Working From Home During a Pandemic

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between cyberloafing in employees working remotely prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and those working remotely due to the pandemic and if technostress was a moderator. Bandura’s social learning theory was the basis for this study. One concept of social learning theory, neutralization, may clarify why technostress may lead to cyberloafing. Blanchard and Henle defined cyberloafing as the personal use of email and the internet while working. Anandarajan et al. described the varying levels of cyberloafing- those considered recreational and those considered deviant. This study focused on the lower tier of cyberloafing behavior, such as checking personal email at work, browsing social media, and personal cell phone use. This study asked if employees working remotely due to the pandemic are engaging in cyberloafing more than employees working remotely prior to the pandemic, using a quantitative survey design. The survey was conducted online using Amazon Mechanical Turks, with 280 participants who did work remotely prior to the pandemic, and 289 participants that did not.Data were analyzed using a t-test to compare cyberloafing in both groups and the Hayes process to measure if technostress has a moderating effect. When looking at the differences in cyberloafing in remote employees, this study also looked at technostress as a moderator. The data analysis found no significant difference between employees working remotely due to the pandemic and those working remotely prior to the pandemic. Additional knowledge on the remote employees’ experience can help inspire positive social change to support this new generation of employees working from home

Understanding digital relationships with smartphones: A psychoanalytic perspective

With the latest data informing us that 78% of UK adults now own a smartphone and that most young people report accessing digital media through a smartphone themselves it is evident that the smartphone as a digital device has become a ubiquitous everyday object. With the rate of growth of digital technologies, it is difficult to research the impact of smartphones on our way of relating to ourselves and others without a constant feeling of playing catch-up. The author uses a mixed methodology design to gain a better understanding of the nature of the human-smartphone relationship which might allow us to think more about what underpins our relationship with digital media rather than how we use it at any given point in time. This paper reviews the literature from both non-psychoanalytic and psychoanalytic perspectives to explore the more unconscious aspects of the relationship that are being actively engaged. The author then undertakes a short autoethnographic study of his own relationship with his smartphone and conducts a focus group of training child psychotherapist to gather personal experience of the human-smartphone relationship and the implications of how the presence of the smartphone in the consulting room impacts upon the practice of child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Findings suggest that all smartphone users, children and adults, are being encouraged to develop an unconscious intimate attachment with the smartphone which is reflective of the mother-infant relationship and it proposes that the smartphone is experienced as a digital pseudo-breast which is designed to not be given up