Employee perceptions of information and communication technologies in work life, perceived burnout, job satisfaction and the role of work-family balance

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) evolve rapidly, and employees perceive ICTs as both resources and demands. Based on the job-demands-resources model, we develop an ICT demands-resources model to analyze how employees’ perceptions of ICTs impact burnout, work-family balance and job satisfaction. Three surveys of employees were conducted: two before and one during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results show that employees perceive ICTs more strongly as resources than as demands. However, while ICT demands have a strong negative impact, ICT resources have no (before COVID-19) or only a weak (during COVID-19) positive impact on burnout and work-family balance. Mediation analyses indicate that work-family balance mitigates the negative effects of ICT demands on burnout. Higher burnout levels reduce job satisfaction. Qualitative survey responses allow for additional implications regarding how to improve work-related ICT use. Overall, findings imply that companies and employees need to focus more on ICT demands than on ICT resource management.