A recent study published in Human Resource Management (HRM) integrates media synchronicity theory with the stressor-detachment model to provide a nuanced view of the influence of out-of-hours use of different ICT channels on employee psychological detachment and productivity. The study also explores a moderating effect of organisational expectations and organisational identification on this influence. Based on a daily diary survey of the use of ICT outside of office hours by almost 500 employees, over three consecutive workdays, which captured just short of 1500 examples of ICT use, the study found that engagement with any form of ICT outside of office hours reduces psychological detachment. Email and chat apps are associated with the lowest levels of psychological detachment. In addition, asynchronous ICT channels (i.e., e-mail, chat app, and SMS) have been found to positively influence productivity, while the use of synchronous ICT (i.e., phone call) only enhances productivity when there are high organisational expectations for employees' responsiveness outside of office hours.
To find out more:
Read the full article here.
Read a Press Release about the article here.
Watch the interview with the authors here.
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Jelena Petrovic
Knowledge Transfer Editor, Human Resource Management
Associate Professor, University of Southampton, UK
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