Negative effects of time autonomy in digital collaboration

Abstract

This article in the journal Group. Interaction. Organization (GIO) focuses on the effects of time autonomy on job-to-home spillover and emotional exhaustion when employees face high time pressure in digital collaboration. We assume time autonomy to strengthen rather than to buffer the detrimental indirect effects of high time pressure on emotional exhaustion via job-to-home spillover, and that high digital collaboration amplifies this effect even further. In a sample of N = 111 employees, we investigated this research question using conditional process analysis. Results support our assumptions as for high digital collaboration high time autonomy amplified the detrimental indirect effect of time pressure on emotional exhaustion via job-to-home spillover, whereas for low digital collaboration high time autonomy buffered this indirect effect. Thus, employees’ risk for emotional exhaustion is higher when time pressure, time autonomy and digital collaboration are high. Therefore, employees and leaders should carefully consider their choices concerning the use of time in the context of digital collaboration.