Trapped In The Digital Rush: The Impact Of Technostress, Digital Work Overload, And Supervisor Support On Employee Wellbeing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37385/msej.v6i6.9469Keywords:
Digital Work Overload, Employee Wellbeing, Hybrid Work, Supervisor Support, TechnostressAbstract
As digital transformation accelerates in the post-pandemic workplace, employees face increasing pressure to remain constantly connected and responsive. While technology enhances flexibility and efficiency, it also introduces new psychological demands that can undermine employee wellbeing. This study investigates the influence of technostress, digital work overload, and supervisor support on employee wellbeing among professionals working in hybrid and digitally integrated organizations in 2025. Grounded in the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory and the Conservation of Resources (COR) model, this research proposes that technostress and digital work overload function as job demands that exhaust personal resources, while supervisor support serves as a critical job resource that can buffer negative effects and promote wellbeing. Data were collected through an online survey involving 210 respondents from various service and technology-based companies operating in Jakarta and Bandung. Results from that technostress and digital work overload have significant negative effects on employee wellbeing, while supervisor support has a significant positive effect. These findings confirm that maintaining digital balance and supportive leadership are essential for sustaining psychological health in the digital work environment. The study contributes to discussions on digital wellbeing in HRM by emphasizing the need for mindful technology use and empathetic leadership in hybrid workplaces.
References
Abu Talib, S. L., Jusoh, M. A., Razali, F. A., & Awang, N. B. (2022). Technostress Creators in the Workplace: A Literature Review and Future Research Needs in Accounting Education. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 7(7). https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v7i7.1625
Ali, F., Nisar, Q. A., & Nasir, S. (2023). Do emotions matter in digitized workplace? Technostress and employees’ emotional well-being during the pandemic. Kybernetes, 52(12). https://doi.org/10.1108/K-10-2021-1000
Bakhai, A., McCauley, L., Stones, L., Khalil, S., Mehta, J., Price, N., Krishnamurthy, V., Parker, L. H. H., & Hughes, D. (2022). Shining a light on an additional clinical burden: work-related digital communication survey study – COVID-19 impact on NHS staff wellbeing. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01427-7
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands-Resources model: State of the art. In Journal of Managerial Psychology (Vol. 22, Issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Berger, M., Schäfer, R., Schmidt, M., Regal, C., & Gimpel, H. (2024). How to prevent technostress at the digital workplace: a Delphi study. Journal of Business Economics, 94(7–8). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-023-01159-3
Bon, A. T., & Shire, A. M. (2022). Review of Conservation of Resources Theory in Job Demands and Resources Model. International Journal of Global Optimization and Its Application, 1(4). https://doi.org/10.56225/ijgoia.v1i4.102
Bondanini, G., Giorgi, G., Ariza-Montes, A., Vega-Muñoz, A., & Andreucci-Annunziata, P. (2020). Technostress dark side of technology in the workplace: a scientometric analysis. In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Vol. 17, Issue 21). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218013
Choi, Y. (2023). Exploring the impact of technostress on work behaviors: Empirical evidence and interventions for enhanced workplace well-being. Information Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669231206763
De’, R., Pandey, N., & Pal, A. (2020). Impact of digital surge during Covid-19 pandemic: A viewpoint on research and practice. International Journal of Information Management, 55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102171
Decataldo, A., & Fiore, B. (2022). Digital-Insecurity and Overload: the Role of Technostress in Lecturers’ Work-Family Balance. Italian Journal of Sociology of Education, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.14658/pupj-ijse-2022-3-4
Demerouti, E., Nachreiner, F., Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3). https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
Derra, N. D., Regal, C., Rath, S. H., & Kühlmann, T. M. (2022). Examining Technostress at Different Types of Data Scientists’ Workplaces. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, 34(1).
Hamzah, H., & Nordin, N. S. (2022). Perceived Supervisor Support and Work Engagement: Mediating Role of Job-Related Affective Well-Being. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 37(2). https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2022.37.2.10
Harunavamwe, M., & Ward, C. (2022). The influence of technostress, work–family conflict, and perceived organisational support on workplace flourishing amidst COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.921211
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of Resources: A New Attempt at Conceptualizing Stress. American Psychologist, 44(3). https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J. P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. In Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior (Vol. 5). https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640
Ioannou, A. (2023). Mindfulness and technostress in the workplace: a qualitative approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1252187
Jackman, P. C., Slater, M. J., Carter, E. E., Sisson, K., & Bird, M. D. (2023). Social support, social identification, mental wellbeing, and psychological distress in doctoral students: A person-centred analysis. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2022.2088272
Kaabomeir, N., Mazhari, K., Arshadi, N., & Karami, M. (2023). How supervisors can support employees’ needs and motivation? an experimental study based on SDT. Current Psychology, 42(20). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02922-5
Karatuna, I., Jönsson, S., & Muhonen, T. (2022). Job Demands, Resources, and Future Considerations: Academics’ Experiences of Working From Home During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.908640
Khlaif, Z. N., Sanmugam, M., & Ayyoub, A. (2023). Impact of Technostress on Continuance Intentions to Use Mobile Technology. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 32(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00638-x
Leeladharan, M., & Yadav, N. (2023). Understand Work Alienation, Digital Technology Overload and Job Satisfaction Among Library Professionals in India. DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology, 43(5). https://doi.org/10.14429/djlit.43.05.18516
Molino, M., Ingusci, E., Signore, F., Manuti, A., Giancaspro, M. L., Russo, V., Zito, M., & Cortese, C. G. (2020). Wellbeing costs of technology use during Covid-19 remote working: An investigation using the Italian translation of the technostress creators scale. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(15). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12155911
Nastjuk, I., Trang, S., Grummeck-Braamt, J. V., Adam, M. T. P., & Tarafdar, M. (2024). Integrating and synthesising technostress research: a meta-analysis on technostress creators, outcomes, and IS usage contexts. European Journal of Information Systems, 33(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2022.2154712
Pansini, M., Buonomo, I., De Vincenzi, C., Ferrara, B., & Benevene, P. (2023). Positioning Technostress in the JD-R Model Perspective: A Systematic Literature Review. In Healthcare (Switzerland) (Vol. 11, Issue 3). https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030446
Penning de Vries, J., Knies, E., & Leisink, P. (2022). Shared Perceptions of Supervisor Support: What Processes Make Supervisors and Employees See Eye to Eye? Review of Public Personnel Administration, 42(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X20942814
Potter, R. E., Zadow, A., Dollard, M., Pignata, S., & Lushington, K. (2022). Digital communication, health & wellbeing in universities: a double-edged sword. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2021.1975206
Scheepers, R. A., Boxem, A. J., & Blezer, M. M. J. (2024). Junior doctors receiving supervisor and peer support are more work-engaged professionals who express their voice for quality improvement. Medical Teacher, 46(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2023.2240000
Schmitt, J. B., Breuer, J., & Wulf, T. (2021). From cognitive overload to digital detox: Psychological implications of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic. Computers in Human Behavior, 124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106899
Sekhar, C., & Patwardhan, M. (2023). Flexible working arrangement and job performance: the mediating role of supervisor support. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 72(5). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-07-2020-0396
Sen, H. T., & Yildirim, A. (2023). The relationship between nurses’ perceived organisational, supervisor and coworker support, psychological well-being and job performance. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 73(3). https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.6594
Swanzy, E. K. (2020). The Impact of Supervisor Support on Employees’ Psychological Wellbeing: A Parallel Mediation Analysis of Work-To-Family Conflict and Job Satisfaction. International Business Research, 13(11). https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v13n11p41
Thomson, P., Johnson, M., & Devlin, J. M. (2017). Conquering digital overload: Leadership strategies that build engaging work cultures. In Conquering Digital Overload: Leadership Strategies that Build Engaging Work Cultures. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63799-0
Wang, H., Ding, H., & Kong, X. (2023). Understanding technostress and employee well-being in digital work: the roles of work exhaustion and workplace knowledge diversity. International Journal of Manpower, 44(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-08-2021-0480
Wang, X., Li, Z., Ouyang, Z., & Xu, Y. (2021). The achilles heel of technology: How does technostress affect university students’ wellbeing and technology-enhanced learning. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312322
Whelan, E., Golden, W., & Tarafdar, M. (2022). How technostress and self-control of social networking sites affect academic achievement and wellbeing. Internet Research, 32(7). https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-06-2021-0394
Xu, P. (2023). Impact of Digital Technology on Employee Wellbeing in the Context of Teleworking During COVID-19. Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/33/20231643
Yang, T., Lei, R., Jin, X., Li, Y., Sun, Y., & Deng, J. (2019). Supervisor support, coworker support and presenteeism among healthcareworkers in China: The mediating role of distributive justice. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16050817
Yin, B., & Wu, S. Q. (2023). Enhancing organizational communication via intelligent voice assistant for knowledge workers: The role of perceived supervisor support, psychological capital, and employee wellbeing. Frontiers in Communication, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.1084703
Zeb, A., Goh, G. G. G., Javaid, M., Khan, M. N., Khan, A. U., & Gul, S. (2023). The interplay between supervisor support and job performance: implications of social exchange and social learning theories. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-04-2021-0143
Zhang, J., Huang, R., Chen, Q., & Zhao, G. (2023). The relationships between supervisor-subordinate guanxi, perceived supervisor autonomy support, autonomous motivation, and employee job satisfaction: Evidence from international hotel chains in China. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2022.103354
Zhang, Z., Ye, B., Qiu, Z., Zhang, H., & Yu, C. (2022). Does Technostress Increase R&D Employees’ Knowledge Hiding in the Digital Era? Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873846
Template


