Navigating the digital shift: Working conditions and employee health in digital social care
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of online counselling in social care, a development that may permanently alter professional practices. However, the full extent of its utilisation, associated occupational risks, and impacts on health remain underexplored. This study investigates the ef...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Innovation & Knowledge |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2444569X25000563 |
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| author | Eva Gnugesser Marlies Jöllenbeck Wiebke Schlenger Elke Ochsmann |
| author_facet | Eva Gnugesser Marlies Jöllenbeck Wiebke Schlenger Elke Ochsmann |
| author_sort | Eva Gnugesser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of online counselling in social care, a development that may permanently alter professional practices. However, the full extent of its utilisation, associated occupational risks, and impacts on health remain underexplored. This study investigates the effects of digitisation on the traditionally face-to-face profession of counselling. We conducted a cross-sectional web survey involving 1049 German counsellors to examine the prevalence of online counselling, remote work, and their associations with occupational risks and health outcomes such as musculoskeletal symptoms, cognitive fatigue, and sleep disorders. Our analysis utilised Kruskal-Wallis tests and multiple regression. Findings reveal that only 9.5 % of participants belonged to the high user group, yet high online usage was associated with more favourable working conditions, including lower emotional burden (p = 0.01), and reduced cognitive fatigue (b = 0.22, p < 0.001) and sleep disorders (b = 0.17, p = 0.004) compared to medium users. Engaging in remote work more than once a week was linked to lower cognitive fatigue compared to doing so up to once a week (b = 0.10, p = 0.03). No correlation was observed between musculoskeletal symptoms and the frequency of online counselling or remote work. These results indicate that online counselling could enhance working conditions, although initial increases in cognitive fatigue may occur as counsellors adapt. The findings underscore the need for continued efforts to improve digital working conditions in social care. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8e64cc2e542240ca9b8c9c4cf14e1d6b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2444-569X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Innovation & Knowledge |
| spelling | doaj-art-8e64cc2e542240ca9b8c9c4cf14e1d6b2025-08-20T02:12:24ZengElsevierJournal of Innovation & Knowledge2444-569X2025-05-0110310070610.1016/j.jik.2025.100706Navigating the digital shift: Working conditions and employee health in digital social careEva Gnugesser0Marlies Jöllenbeck1Wiebke Schlenger2Elke Ochsmann3Institute of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, Medical Faculty, Saarland University, Campus Homburg, Kirrberger Str. 100, 66424 Homburg, Germany; Corresponding author.Employer's Liability Insurance Association for Health Services and Welfare Care (BGW), 22089 Hamburg, Germany; Institute of Occupational Medicine, Prevention and Workplace Health Management, Medical Faculty, University of Luebeck, 23562 Luebeck, GermanyInstitute of Occupational Medicine, Prevention and Workplace Health Management, Medical Faculty, University of Luebeck, 23562 Luebeck, GermanyInstitute of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, Medical Faculty, Saarland University, Campus Homburg, Kirrberger Str. 100, 66424 Homburg, Germany; Institute of Occupational Medicine, Prevention and Workplace Health Management, Medical Faculty, University of Luebeck, 23562 Luebeck, GermanyThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of online counselling in social care, a development that may permanently alter professional practices. However, the full extent of its utilisation, associated occupational risks, and impacts on health remain underexplored. This study investigates the effects of digitisation on the traditionally face-to-face profession of counselling. We conducted a cross-sectional web survey involving 1049 German counsellors to examine the prevalence of online counselling, remote work, and their associations with occupational risks and health outcomes such as musculoskeletal symptoms, cognitive fatigue, and sleep disorders. Our analysis utilised Kruskal-Wallis tests and multiple regression. Findings reveal that only 9.5 % of participants belonged to the high user group, yet high online usage was associated with more favourable working conditions, including lower emotional burden (p = 0.01), and reduced cognitive fatigue (b = 0.22, p < 0.001) and sleep disorders (b = 0.17, p = 0.004) compared to medium users. Engaging in remote work more than once a week was linked to lower cognitive fatigue compared to doing so up to once a week (b = 0.10, p = 0.03). No correlation was observed between musculoskeletal symptoms and the frequency of online counselling or remote work. These results indicate that online counselling could enhance working conditions, although initial increases in cognitive fatigue may occur as counsellors adapt. The findings underscore the need for continued efforts to improve digital working conditions in social care.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2444569X25000563I18J810L31 |
| spellingShingle | Eva Gnugesser Marlies Jöllenbeck Wiebke Schlenger Elke Ochsmann Navigating the digital shift: Working conditions and employee health in digital social care Journal of Innovation & Knowledge I18 J810 L31 |
| title | Navigating the digital shift: Working conditions and employee health in digital social care |
| title_full | Navigating the digital shift: Working conditions and employee health in digital social care |
| title_fullStr | Navigating the digital shift: Working conditions and employee health in digital social care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigating the digital shift: Working conditions and employee health in digital social care |
| title_short | Navigating the digital shift: Working conditions and employee health in digital social care |
| title_sort | navigating the digital shift working conditions and employee health in digital social care |
| topic | I18 J810 L31 |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2444569X25000563 |
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