Full length articleWork-related use of information and communication technologies after hours (W_ICTs) and emotional exhaustion: A mediated moderation model
Introduction
With the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) over the last decade, work-related use of information and communication technologies after hours (W_ICTs) has become quite common. Nowadays, many employees are able to work anywhere, anytime depending on their preferences. However, this new way of working might affect individuals' work and family lives in both positive and negative ways. Previous findings suggested that W_ICTs is a double-edged sword (Ma et al., 2016b, Ter Hoeven et al., 2016). On one hand, W_ICTs can promote the flexibility to meet job demands (Leung, 2011), and it has been found to positively relate to job satisfaction (e.g., Diaz, Chiaburu, Zimmerman, & Boswell, 2012). On the other hand, W_ICTs can also be a job demand that impairs individuals’ well-being (e.g., Boswell and Olson-Buchanan, 2007, Derks et al., 2014). Given the widespread use of ICTs and the potential benefits of W_ICTs, it would be neither realistic nor desirable to ban W_ICTs (Sonnentag & Braun, 2013). Hence, it is particularly important to uncover the negative effects of W_ICTs and then develop effective interventions to mitigate them.
In line with this rationale, the current study tested the effect of W_ICTs on emotional exhaustion and investigated its boundary conditions. As a core dimension of burnout, emotional exhaustion has received considerable research attention (e.g., Cropanzano et al., 2003, Grandey, 2003, Wright and Cropanzano, 1998). It has been found that emotional exhaustion is harmful to individuals’ physical and mental health (Huang, Du, Chen, Yang, & Huang, 2011), as well as their work performance (Karatepe, 2013). Although several studies have examined the relationship between W_ICTs and emotional exhaustion, the findings have been inconsistent (e.g. Derks et al., 2014, Reinke and Chamorro-Premuzic, 2014). In the current study, we proposed and empirically tested a mediated moderation model in which the relationship between W_ICTs and emotional exhaustion would be moderated by work-home integration preference, and work schedule and location control would mediate this interaction effect.
Section snippets
W_ICTs and emotional exhaustion
According to Boundary Theory, individuals may actively create and maintain segmented or integrated boundaries between work and family domains (Ashforth et al., 2000, Clark, 2000). A segmented boundary distinctly defines when and where work and family responsibilities should each be carried out, and helps to simplify and classify the life environment; in contrast, with an integrated boundary work and family domains are overlapping and closely related (Hislop & Axtell, 2011). Because the demands
Participants
Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants, and the participants' demographic information of the two studies are summarized in Table 1.
Study 1. We sent a survey to 602 college counselors from universities in the central region of mainland China, and received 447 responses (response rate = 74.25%). Two hundred and nineteen (48.99%) of them were women and 228 (50.01%) were men. The mean age of these counselors was 30.85 years old (SD = 4.72 years). Most counselors (326, 72.93%) were
Discriminant and convergent validity
Although all the measures in the present study demonstrated good reliability and validity in previous studies, it is still important to determine if these instruments distinct from each other in the current study. Thus, before testing the hypotheses, we assessed the discriminant validity of the focal variable measures using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). As Table 2 shows, results from Study 1 showed that the hypothesized three-factor model (W_ICTs, work-home integration preference, and
Discussion
In this study, we tested whether work-home integration preference moderated the effect of W_ICTs on emotional exhaustion, and whether work schedule and location control mediated this moderation effect. Results from two studies found that W_ICTs positively predicted emotional exhaustion at low but not at high levels of work-home integration preference. Further, work schedule and location control acted as a key mediating variable. Specifically, the effect of the interaction (between W_ICTs and
Conclusion
In summary, this study is an important step forward in investigating the boundary conditions of the relationship between W_ICTs and emotional exhaustion. It shows that work-home integration preference serves as a potential moderator, and the inducing impact of W_ICTs on emotional exhaustion appears to be weaker for employees with higher level of work-home integration preference, pointing out the importance of individual differences on managing work and home boundaries in coping with potential
Acknowledgements
The present research was supported by the Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31200795), the Project of the Major Research plan of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 91324201), the Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 16CGL044) and self-determined research funds of CCNU from the colleges' basic research and operation of MOE (CCNU14Z02015). No financial interest in present research.
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