Communication in the Digital Work Environment: Implications for Wellbeing at Work

Abstract

This article examines digital communication in the workplace and its association with wellbeing at work. The analysis is based mainly on workshop discussions and is complemented with log data (N = 36). Content analysis was applied to the workshop discussions, while the log data were analyzed by quantifying frequencies. Six themes were found to affect wellbeing at work: the volume of digital communication, expectations of constant connectivity, the quality of the messages, adaptation of new tools, technical problems, and flexibility in communication. In relation to wellbeing at work, digital communication was mostly perceived as demanding. However, some of the factors perceived as demanding could also provide flexibility, which was seen as enhancing wellbeing by increasing autonomy and control. Social factors, such as work habits, practices, and conventions in the workplace, seem to play an important role in the manifestation and management of the digital communication-induced load at work.

Government Workers’ Stories about Professional Development in a Digitalized Working Life

“…Hence, although distant work was considered to decrease interaction and communication in the negative stories, it was also valued because of its potential to provide opportunities for job control. Previous studies have found that the asynchrony and increased flexibility offered by digitalization blurs the boundary between work and leisure time and causes difficulties to disconnect from work (e.g., Bordi et al 2018;Vuori et al 2018). Interestingly, participants of our study viewed the opportunity to flexibly combine work and non-work domains as mostly something positive and supporting professional development (e.g., participation in professional online networks and courses regardless of time and place).…”

“…However, the increased access to information may also lead to information overload, i.e., "a feeling of being overwhelmed by the quantity of incoming information and the need to respond to it" (O'Driscoll et al 2010, p. 275). Consequently, asynchronous communication and the increased accessibility and availability have been found to facilitate the spillover of work to leisure time (Bordi et al 2018). For instance, previous research has found that employees clear and check their email in the evenings and weekends in order to manage their work-related communication load and their overall workload (Barley et al 2011;Bordi et al 2018).…”

“…Consequently, asynchronous communication and the increased accessibility and availability have been found to facilitate the spillover of work to leisure time (Bordi et al 2018). For instance, previous research has found that employees clear and check their email in the evenings and weekends in order to manage their work-related communication load and their overall workload (Barley et al 2011;Bordi et al 2018). Furthermore, the employees may feel strong pressure to be available and react immediately through digital communication devices in order to manage their work (Bordi et al 2018).…”

“…For instance, previous research has found that employees clear and check their email in the evenings and weekends in order to manage their work-related communication load and their overall workload (Barley et al 2011;Bordi et al 2018). Furthermore, the employees may feel strong pressure to be available and react immediately through digital communication devices in order to manage their work (Bordi et al 2018). Thus, this increased access to information and striving for efficiency is closely related to work intensification, which occurs if employees feel the pressure to complete more tasks within a working day (Kubicek et al 2014).…”

“…Scholars have also found that new ICTs open new channels for finding and exchanging information, increased flexibility and control over workers' learning experiences, and a space for building social capital (e.g., Brookshire, Lybarger, and Keane 2011;Dimicco et al 2008;Gerard 2012;Gruzd and Goertzen 2013;Vuori et al 2018). For instance, social and mobile technologies can help workers to identify experts, solve problems, generate ideas and to share knowledge (DiMicco et al 2009;Ellison et al 2015;Turban et al 2011), which will help employees who work remotely at different locations and at different times (Bordi et al 2018;Day et al 2010). Past research has indicated that users of social technologies in workplaces value especially the interactivity, peer support, and instant feedback offered by said technologies (Leino, Tanhua-Piiroinen, and Sommers-Piiroinen 2012).…”