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NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom — The digital revolution promised to make our work lives easier, but for many, it’s become a source of constant stress and anxiety. Researchers from the University of Nottingham have identified a phenomenon called “workplace FoMO” – the fear of missing out on crucial work information – as a key driver of employee burnout and mental health issues.
The study, published in SAGE Open, paints a picture of workers drowning in a sea of emails, instant messages, and notifications. This constant barrage of information is not just annoying – it’s potentially harmful to our psychological health. The researchers found that employees who feel overwhelmed by workplace technology are more likely to experience stress, exhaustion, and even symptoms of poor mental health.
Imagine constantly checking your work phone at dinner, worried you might miss a crucial email – that’s workplace FoMO in action.
“The digital workplace is now recognized as a key strategic asset in organizations that enables worker productivity and flexibility in context of hybrid working. However, the potential downsides in terms of worker well-being also need to be considered, especially given the proliferation of digital communication channels and tools since COVID,” explains Elizabeth Marsh, a PhD student from the School of Psychology and lead author of the study, in a media release.
The researchers surveyed 142 employees about their experiences with the “dark side” of digital working – stress, overload, anxiety, and fear of missing out. What they found was alarming: employees who felt overwhelmed by information and anxious about missing important updates were significantly more likely to experience stress, exhaustion, and poor mental health.
Here’s the kicker: it’s not just the volume of information that’s the problem. The fear of missing out on crucial work-related information proved to be a key risk factor for employee mental health. This workplace FoMO creates a vicious cycle, driving employees to constantly check their devices and struggle to disconnect from work, even during personal time.
“Consideration of the digital workplace in work and job design is essential to not only employee productivity but also well-being in modern organizations. Where this is lacking, elevated stress and burnout as well as poorer mental health may result,” says Dr. Alexa Spence, Professor of Psychology.
With the boundaries between work and personal life increasingly blurred, the risk of digital overload and workplace FoMO has never been higher. So, what can be done to address this growing crisis?
The researchers offer several practical suggestions for employers. These include optimizing information management systems, providing training on digital well-being, and fostering a culture that respects boundaries between work and personal time.
“To help people cope with information overwhelm, serious and sustained attention should be given to both optimizing information management and supporting information literacy,” Marsh emphasizes.
For individual workers, developing better digital habits is key. This could involve setting specific times to check emails, using productivity tools to filter information, and practicing “digital detoxes” outside of work hours.
As we continue to navigate the evolving landscape of digital work, this study serves as a wake-up call. The always-on culture of the modern workplace is not just an annoyance – it’s a serious threat to employee well-being and mental health. By acknowledging and addressing the potential downsides of our hyper-connected work lives, we can work towards creating digital workplaces that support both productivity and human flourishing.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers conducted an online survey of 142 UK-based workers who use technology for work at least once a day. Participants answered questions about their experiences with digital workplace stress, information overload, anxiety, and Fear of Missing Out. They also provided information about their exhaustion levels and mental health. The study used various statistical techniques, including regression analyses, to examine the relationships between these factors.
Key Results
The study found that information overload and Fear of Missing Out were significantly associated with higher levels of digital workplace stress. These factors, along with overall digital workplace stress, were linked to increased exhaustion and poorer mental health among employees. Interestingly, the fear of missing out on information had a stronger negative impact on mental health than general information overload.
Study Limitations
The study relied on self-reported data, which can be subject to bias. The sample size was relatively small and not fully representative of all workers.
Additionally, the cross-sectional design of the study means it can’t establish causal relationships – in other words, we can’t say for certain that digital overload causes poor mental health, only that there’s a correlation. The study also focused on a specific point in time and doesn’t account for how these relationships might change over a longer period.
Discussion & Takeaways
This research highlights the need for organizations to carefully manage information flow in the digital workplace. It suggests that simply providing more information isn’t always better and can potentially harm employee well-being.
The study emphasizes the importance of developing strategies to help workers cope with information overload and reduce workplace FoMO. This might include better training, improved information management systems, and policies that encourage work-life balance. The findings also underscore the need for further research into the long-term effects of digital workplace stress on employee mental health and productivity.
Funding & Disclosures
The research was funded by ESRC-MGS (Economic and Social Research Council — Midland Graduate School). It was also supported by UK Research and Innovation and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
