The Influence of Technological Reliability and Supervisor Supportiveness on Work Stress

Despite the prevalence of workplace stress, little research has identified both the social and technological sources of it. In two studies, we examined the role of supervisor support and reliable technology in the alleviation of stress. In Study 1, working adults in Mechanical Turk (n = 225) completed an online survey asking them about their workplace attitudes and opportunities. Results of a regression analysis showed that supportive supervisors and reliable technology were the only predictors of lowered stress, even while accounting for coworkers, pay, promotion opportunities, and everyday workplace tasks. In Study 2, undergraduate students (n = 186) completed a computer task that either malfunctioned or worked normally, and were either supervised by a supportive or unsupportive research assistant. The results showed a significant main effect of technology reliability and a Supervisor X Technology interaction effect, but only for female participants. Implications for improving workplace conditions are discussed

An Exploration of the Relationship Between Technostress, Employee Engagement and Job Design from the Nigerian Banking Employee’s Perspective

The introduction of technology in the banking sector has induced benefits to this sector. ICTs has facilitated the delivery of efficient and reliable banking services. Despite all the benefits associated with the use of technology, organizational researchers have argued that technology is a double-edged sword because its ability to induce stress in its users, this kind of anxiety is technostress, a strain that is caused by the lack of knowledge of individuals to cope and adapt to the use of technologies.  The increasing use of technologies has resulted in work-family conflict, role-overload, work-overload, and multi-tasking. Additionally, technologies have resulted in consistent task reengineering, which has created knowledge gaps for employees. Past studies on technostress have demonstrated that can affect employees, performances, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction. However, the association of technostress with employee engagement and job design has not been established. Hence, the objective of this current study is to explore the association of job design with technostress and employee and the impact of technostress on employee engagement. Using a purposive sampling method, a total of 319 Participants were recruited from front desk employees of the Nigerian commercial banks and data has been analyzed using smart PLS. The findings of the study show a significant positive relationship between job design and technostress and positive relationship between technostress and employee engagement contrary to the negative relationship proposed based on the stress and engagement literature is an indication that job design alone may not reduce the impact of technostress if other organizational-stressors are not addressed. While technostress does not reduce employee engagement instead a moderate level of stress can serve as a motivator, but extreme stress can have a damaging impact on employees and the organization. Equally, the study also found a positive association between job design and employee engagement, while technostress has a mediating effect on job design and employee engagement

The Chaotic Behavior of ICT Users

This paper describes how chaos theory was implemented to explain a behavioral aspect in an information system. The chaos theory was developed from the physical sciences and has been widely applied to many fields. However, this theory may also be applied to the social sciences. For certain types of human behavior, the chaos theory could comprehensively explain the phenomena of the use of information and communications technology (ICT). It means that this theory could clarify all the different kinds of human interactions with ICT. When the researchers used the chaos theory integratively, they could explain the distressed behavior of ICT users comprehensively. This theory argues that an individual acts randomly, even though the system is deterministic. When individuals use ICT, they could get technostress due to either the information systems or other users. This paper explains that ICT users could use information systems, with their complicated procedures and outputs. They were also probably disturbed by other users. The users, furthermore, experience chaotic pressures through their experiential values. This paper shows that users’ behavior when facing chaotic pressure depends upon their personality dimensions. The authors finally propose a new paradigm that this chaos theory could explain the chaotic actions of ICT users

Examining the Relationship between Technostress and the Effectiveness of Organizational Communication

Research has shown that organizational communication plays a pivotal role in both employee engagement and commitment to the organization. However, in today’s business world, employees are required to process ever increasing amounts of information through a growing number of communication channels using various information and communication technologies (ICT). This leads to a phenomenon termed technostress. The purpose of this study was to determine if the quantity of communication disseminated by James Madison University (JMU) had any impact on the stress levels of its faculty and staff. The study utilized an anonymous online Qualtrics survey which was disseminated to all active faculty and staff at James Madison University (JMU). Taking a mixed-methods approach, the survey asked a series of questions related to employee demographics, use of JMU communication channels, and email management practices using a stress related instrument. Overall, both quantitative and qualitative survey responses indicated that a majority of the participating faculty and staff at JMU felt impacted by both information and communication overload. Unfortunately, qualitative data indicated that several employees are trying to self-manage this overload by either responding to emails outside of work hours or by trying to circumvent email by turning to alternative communication platforms. By understanding how JMU employees manage their email and what leads to stress, this research provides insight on alternative ways that organizations can disseminate necessary information without adding to an employee\u27s level of stress

Diseño de una guía de manejo de tecnoestrés en docentes trabajadores remotos de un colegio de Bogotá durante la pandemia del Covid-19

El tecnoestrés, enmarcado en los factores y riesgos psicosociales, se ha identificado en las últimas décadas, debido al uso frecuente de las Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones (TIC) y por la sobreexposición de los trabajadores remotos a estos recursos digitales. Con ocasión de las medidas de aislamiento, establecidas por el gobierno, para evitar el contagio con el COVID 19, el número de trabajadores remotos a nivel nacional y mundial aumentó, por la necesidad de las empresas y distintas organizaciones de continuar operando, entre ellas las del sector educativo. Debido a ello, esta investigación se orienta a identificar las repercusiones del tecnoestrés en los docentes trabajadores remotos y a definir los elementos que deben constituir una guía para la mitigación de los signos de este en docentes con modalidad de trabajo remoto en un Colegio de Bogotá. Esta investigación puso en evidencia los niveles de tecnoestrés que enfrentan los docentes en la modalidad de tecno sobrecarga, así como el grado de tecno invasión en sus espacios personales y la tecno incertidumbre frente a los cambios de tecnología del Colegio. No se observó un alto grado de tecno complejidad puesto que, los docentes del estudio consideran tener las capacidades necesarias para el manejo de las tecnologías y así mismo, no consideran una amenaza para su estabilidad laboral y personal el tema de las innovaciones en la tecnología, razón por la cual no experimentan tecno inseguridad.Contenido Lista de Tablas 5 Lista de Figuras 6 Dedicatoria 8 Resumen 9 Problema de Investigación 12 Descripción del Problema 12 Formulación del Problema 15 Objetivos de la Investigación 16 Objetivo General 16 Objetivos Específicos: 16 Justificación y Delimitación 17 Justificación 17 Delimitación 18 Limitaciones 18 Marco de Referencia de la Investigación 19 Estado del Arte 19 Prevención del Tecnoestrés 26 Tecnoestrés en el Sector Educativo 30 Marco Teórico 32 Riesgo Psicosocial en Colombia 32 Consecuencias del Tecnoestrés: 35 Medición del Tecnoestrés 37 Covid-19 y Tecnoestrés 38 Marco Legal. 42 Marco Metodológico 46 Método 46 Instrumento 47 Validación del Contenido de los Ítems: 47 Formato de los Instrumentos 48 Consentimiento Informado 49 Población 50 Muestra. 50 Criterios de Inclusión 51 Criterios de Exclusión 51 Cronograma 52 Presupuesto 53 Análisis e interpretación de Resultados 57 Respuestas a las preguntas del Inventario de Tecnoestrés 60 Discusión 78 Conclusiones 82 Anexos 99EspecializaciónEspecialización en Gerencia de la Seguridad y Salud en el trabaj