Workplace stress from actual and desired computer-­mediated communication use: a multi-­method study

Jean-François Stich (), Monideepa Tarafdar, Cary Cooper and Patrick Stacey
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Jean-François Stich: ICN Business School, CEREFIGE - Centre Européen de Recherche en Economie Financière et Gestion des Entreprises - UL - Université de Lorraine
Monideepa Tarafdar: Lancaster University, MIT Sloan - Sloan School of Management - MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cary Cooper: MBS - Manchester Business School - University of Manchester [Manchester]
Patrick Stacey: Loughborough University

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Abstract: The use of computer-mediated communication applications can lead to workplace stress for employees. However, such stress is influenced not only by how individuals actually use computer-mediated communication applications but also how they desire to use them. This article examines how the individual's actual and desired use of communication tools together influence his or her workplace stress. It does so across a range of computer-mediated media (e.g. email or instant messaging) and workplace stressors (e.g. workload or work relationships). This investigation is conducted using a multi-method research design. The quantitative study found that desired and actual use together influenced workplace stress, mostly for email, but not for other media. The qualitative study further showed that such influence depends on organisational conditions such as available media or co-workers preferences. The findings emphasise the importance of considering the individuals' desired use of CMC media and their subjective appraisals of different media.

Keywords: email; instant; Computer-mediated communication; email; instant messaging; technostress; workplace stress; workload; work relationships; wellbeing; misfit; person-environment fit; multi-method study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-01515123
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Published in New Technology, Work and Employment, 2017, 32 (1), pp.84-100. ⟨10.1111/ntwe.12079⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01515123

DOI: 10.1111/ntwe.12079

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