Employees’ attitudes and work-related stress in the digital workplace: an empirical investigation

IntroductionIn the digital era, the integration of advanced, hyper-connected technologies deeply reshaped work dynamics and organizational practices, especially through the transformation of the spatial and temporal dimensions of work. This study examines the complex relationship between digitalizat...

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Main Authors: Maddalena Cavicchioli, Fabio Demaria, Francesca Nannetti, Anna Chiara Scapolan, Tommaso Fabbri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546832/full
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author Maddalena Cavicchioli
Fabio Demaria
Francesca Nannetti
Anna Chiara Scapolan
Tommaso Fabbri
author_facet Maddalena Cavicchioli
Fabio Demaria
Francesca Nannetti
Anna Chiara Scapolan
Tommaso Fabbri
author_sort Maddalena Cavicchioli
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionIn the digital era, the integration of advanced, hyper-connected technologies deeply reshaped work dynamics and organizational practices, especially through the transformation of the spatial and temporal dimensions of work. This study examines the complex relationship between digitalization and work-related stress, with a particular emphasis on the impact of both digital activities (i.e., number of actions and virtual meetings) and employees’ attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction, person-organization fit, engagement, and work-life interface) on stress levels.MethodsDrawing on data from Microsoft 365 activity records and an online survey of employees in an Italian AI firm, this study applies Factor Analysis and Generalized Additive Models to analyze the above-mentioned interactions in a highly digitalized context.ResultsFindings indicate that the time–space intensification and extension of the working experience has a significant impact in terms of increasing work-related stress when exceeding certain number of off-hours digital actions and virtual meetings. Conversely, job satisfaction, perceptions of work-life enrichment and person-organization fit represent subjective employees’ attitudes that significantly influence and reduce work-related stress in a digitalized working environment.DiscussionThis study contributes to the existing academic literature by providing a more nuanced understanding of the dual impact of work digitalization on employees’ well-being. Furthermore, our findings offer practical insights into the management of employees and their level of stress in digital work settings.
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spelling doaj-art-dc3612eb634744388479816087ea2ef32025-02-11T07:00:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-02-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15468321546832Employees’ attitudes and work-related stress in the digital workplace: an empirical investigationMaddalena Cavicchioli0Fabio Demaria1Francesca Nannetti2Anna Chiara Scapolan3Tommaso Fabbri4Marco Biagi Department of Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, ItalyDepartment of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, ItalyMarco Biagi Department of Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, ItalyDepartment of Communication and Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, ItalyMarco Biagi Department of Economics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, ItalyIntroductionIn the digital era, the integration of advanced, hyper-connected technologies deeply reshaped work dynamics and organizational practices, especially through the transformation of the spatial and temporal dimensions of work. This study examines the complex relationship between digitalization and work-related stress, with a particular emphasis on the impact of both digital activities (i.e., number of actions and virtual meetings) and employees’ attitudes (i.e., job satisfaction, person-organization fit, engagement, and work-life interface) on stress levels.MethodsDrawing on data from Microsoft 365 activity records and an online survey of employees in an Italian AI firm, this study applies Factor Analysis and Generalized Additive Models to analyze the above-mentioned interactions in a highly digitalized context.ResultsFindings indicate that the time–space intensification and extension of the working experience has a significant impact in terms of increasing work-related stress when exceeding certain number of off-hours digital actions and virtual meetings. Conversely, job satisfaction, perceptions of work-life enrichment and person-organization fit represent subjective employees’ attitudes that significantly influence and reduce work-related stress in a digitalized working environment.DiscussionThis study contributes to the existing academic literature by providing a more nuanced understanding of the dual impact of work digitalization on employees’ well-being. Furthermore, our findings offer practical insights into the management of employees and their level of stress in digital work settings.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546832/fullwork-related stressdigital workplaceemployees’ attitudesdigitalizationvirtual meetingsjob satisfaction
spellingShingle Maddalena Cavicchioli
Fabio Demaria
Francesca Nannetti
Anna Chiara Scapolan
Tommaso Fabbri
Employees’ attitudes and work-related stress in the digital workplace: an empirical investigation
Frontiers in Psychology
work-related stress
digital workplace
employees’ attitudes
digitalization
virtual meetings
job satisfaction
title Employees’ attitudes and work-related stress in the digital workplace: an empirical investigation
title_full Employees’ attitudes and work-related stress in the digital workplace: an empirical investigation
title_fullStr Employees’ attitudes and work-related stress in the digital workplace: an empirical investigation
title_full_unstemmed Employees’ attitudes and work-related stress in the digital workplace: an empirical investigation
title_short Employees’ attitudes and work-related stress in the digital workplace: an empirical investigation
title_sort employees attitudes and work related stress in the digital workplace an empirical investigation
topic work-related stress
digital workplace
employees’ attitudes
digitalization
virtual meetings
job satisfaction
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546832/full
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