Information and communication technology (ICT) in the workplace can create unease and frustration—especially when businesses introduce new tools and systems that employees must use to perform their tasks.
If employees struggle to understand new digital tools, or if there are weaknesses in the tools, it can lead to disruptions that make the workday less predictable.
The sum of many small digital problems during a workday can contribute to technostress, which over time may affect the health of those experiencing it.
Many small obstacles
Each individual episode involving technical problems or work obstacles may seem quite insignificant. Such episodes can be called microstressors.
However, if they happen repeatedly and perhaps even dominate the workday, they may eventually have health consequences.
Previous studies have not investigated how challenges with new digital tools affect sick leave.
– That’s why we examined ‘ICT obstacles’ – technical problems that prevent people from properly completing their work tasks. We also investigated the effects of these obstacles on short-, medium-, and long-term sick leave due to psychological diagnoses, says Jan Olav Christensen, a researcher on psychosocial work environment at STAMI.
This is technostress
Technostress describes various burdens employees may experience when working with digital technology. It can stem from:
– Feeling less control over their work
– Technology not functioning properly, leading to interruptions and obstacles
– Tasks becoming more complex
– Increased workload from constantly learning new tools and tasks
– Feeling insecure about tech skills or fearing replacement by technological innovations
Surveys and registry data
To understand how tech troubles affect health, researchers used data from STAMI’s earlier work environment survey “The New Workplace,” with responses from employees at 96 companies.
Employees answered questions about their work environment, including “how often they are unable to work due to technical problems.” The survey also covered workload, time pressure, decision-making autonomy, and access to support and training.
This information was compared with registry data on doctor-certified sick leave due to psychological diagnoses. The data included responses from over 8,500 participants.
Training and support crucial
The surveys showed that frequently experiencing ICT problems at work is linked to a higher risk of sick leave.
At the same time, Christensen and colleagues found that those who received technical support and training had a lower risk of sick leave – regardless of their job demands and autonomy.
Relevant training makes employees better equipped to use new tech tools effectively. It gives them confidence in handling tasks and makes it easier to solve problems that arise.
However, for ICT support and training to be effective, they must be introduced early.
– Although ICT problems can increase the risk of sick leave, while technological support and training reduce it, it might not be enough to offer support only after problems arise. This indicates that the most effective approach is to prevent technical issues by offering training at the same time as new systems and tools are introduced, says Christensen.
To gain even more insight into how technological challenges affect health, sick leave, and work efficiency, STAMI will conduct new studies on this topic going forward.