Influence of Technostress on Work Engagement and Job Performance During Remote Working

The Covid-19 pandemic forced millions of people worldwide to engage in remote working practices, and several organisations are expected to continue adopting work-from-home even in the post-pandemic scenario. This phenomenon has highlighted the importance of human-technology interaction in enabling tele-work, but it has also increased awareness about the potential adverse effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on employees' wellbeing. Even if recent literature has delved into these consequences in terms of techno-stress, there has been little quantitative analysis within the telework literature. The present study aims to fill this gap by introducing and testing an empirical model grounding on a transactional-based model of stress. We assess the influence of three techno-stressors (i.e., techno-overload, techno-complexity, and techno-invasion), two typologies of individual psychological responses as mediator variables (i.e., affective and cognitive strain), and individuals' work outcomes (i.e., work engagement and job performance). We collected self-reports through survey research involving a sample of 135 remote workers. Data was analysed using Partial Least Square - Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that techno-overload positively influences affective strain, techno-invasion positively influences both affective and cognitive strain, while techno-complexity positively influences cognitive strain. Further, we show that cognitive strain negatively affects both work engagement and job performance, while affective strain negatively influences only job performance. Possible stress coping strategies based on the redesign of the working environment and mindfulness practices to inhibit techno-stressors are discussed. Also, we discuss how adaptive systems tracking individual behavioral and cognitive strain can create positive feedback loops to enhance individual wellbeing.