The Impact of Digital Communication Overload on Employee Burnout and Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

Aim of the Study: The study examined the impact of digital communication overload on employee burnout and psychological well-being. The idea is to fill the gap in the literature and provide useful implications to the employees involved in digital communication in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Methodology: A cross-sectional correlational research design and using purposive sampling technique data was collected from (n=140) employees working in various industries in the Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The minimum age of participants was 19 years with at least one year of experience in their current industry and a minimum qualification of matriculation. The study comprised three measures: the Perceived Information Overload Scale, the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), and Psychological Well-being scale.

Findings: Pearson product-moment correlation analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between digital communication overload and employee burnout, whereas psychological well-being showed a statistically significant negative relationship with both digital communication overload and employee burnout. Simple linear regression analysis revealed that digital communication overload significantly and positively predicted employee burnout, while it significantly and negatively predicted psychological well-being. Furthermore, an independent samples t-test showed that women scored significantly higher on digital communication overload and employee burnout, and lower though not significantly on psychological well-being compared to their male counterparts.

Conclusion: The study concluded that digital communication overload positively predicts employee burnout and negatively predicts psychological well-being. The study provided comprehensive implications, i.e., the need to encourage breaks, enhancing the coping mechanism of employees via training, and the organizational psychologists need to address the issues related to burnout and lower psychological well-being timely manner and manage it accordingly.