Managing job burnout from workplace telepressure: A three way interaction

Abstract

Orientation: The massive development of information, communication and technology (ICT) in the last decade has motivated companies to adopt it in their business. However, this becomes one of the pressures faced by employees, as it may lead to job burnout.

Research purpose: To explore the influence of workplace telepressure on employee burnout by considering transformational leadership and perceived organisational support (POS) as moderators.

Motivation for the study: The literature on how workplace telepressure affects job burnout still needs to be explored, and there is a need to examine the condition by which this relationship can be strengthened or weakened.

Research approach/design and method: This study employs a quantitative approach with 388 employees of manufacturing companies in three provinces in Indonesia. The data processing is done using conditional process analysis with SPSS macro-PROCESS.

Main findings: Workplace telepressure is positively related to higher levels of job burnout. Transformational leadership moderates the influence of workplace telepressure on job burnout. Finally, POS strengthens the moderating role of transformational leadership in workplace telepressure on job burnout.

Practical/managerial implications: Managers must be aware that workplace telepressure can trigger job burnout among employees. Leaders need to apply a transformational leadership style, and organisations need to provide full support for employees.

Contribution/value-add: This study builds a model of stress management, represented by job burnout, because of the existence of workplace telepressure by considering contextual factors that individuals can use as resources to regulate the pressure they feel on having to respond to ICT continuously in their work.