TY - JOUR

T1 - To be or not to be stressed

T2 - Designing autonomy to reduce stress at work.

AU - Zeuge, Anna

AU - Lemmer, Kristina

AU - Klesel, Michael

AU - Kordyaka, Bastian

AU - Jahn, Katharina

AU - Niehaves, Bjoern

N1 - Funding Information: This publication has been partially funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – Project-ID 416228727 – SFB 1410, the German Ministry of Culture and Science of the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia (reference number: 005–1706-0006), and the research initiative “Instant Teaming between Humans and Production Systems” co-financed by tax funds of the Saxony State Ministry of Science and Art (SMWK3-7304/35/3-2021/4819) on the basis of the budget passed by the deputies of the Saxony state parliament. Publisher Copyright: © 2023-The authors Published by IOS Press.

PY - 2023/8/11

Y1 - 2023/8/11

N2 - BACKGROUND: Many organizations are undertaking efforts to reduce the stress of (oftentimes overworked) employees. Information Technology (IT) (e.g., smartphones) has the potential to be a key instrument for reducing stress. One design-relevant factor considered to reduce stress is the concept of autonomy. Unfortunately, little research exists using autonomy as a characteristic of technology design. OBJECTIVE: Against this background, this study aimed to investigate specific autonomy-related design options with the potential to prevent stress. METHODS: In a factorial survey, this experimental study tested three design options in an overwork scenario: 1) autonomy (no intervention by design), 2) nudge ("nudging" by design), and 3) enforcement (hard stop by design). 51 participants (mean age 38 years, 50% women, mean work experience 18 years) from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Germany participated in the experiment for 330 seconds on average. To test our hypothesis, we used a two-step approach. First, a multiple linear regression was applied. Second, we carried out a one-way ANCOVA comparing the effects of our design options. RESULTS: Our results indicate that autonomy can be manipulated through technology design and is negatively correlated with stress. Additionally, the design options autonomy and nudge were associated with lower levels of perceived stress than was enforcement. CONCLUSION: The study proposes a careful use of IT and policies that limit the perceived autonomy of employees. Overall, this study offers a set of design recommendations arguing that organizations should implement technology that helps employees prevent overwork and maintain their autonomy.

AB - BACKGROUND: Many organizations are undertaking efforts to reduce the stress of (oftentimes overworked) employees. Information Technology (IT) (e.g., smartphones) has the potential to be a key instrument for reducing stress. One design-relevant factor considered to reduce stress is the concept of autonomy. Unfortunately, little research exists using autonomy as a characteristic of technology design. OBJECTIVE: Against this background, this study aimed to investigate specific autonomy-related design options with the potential to prevent stress. METHODS: In a factorial survey, this experimental study tested three design options in an overwork scenario: 1) autonomy (no intervention by design), 2) nudge ("nudging" by design), and 3) enforcement (hard stop by design). 51 participants (mean age 38 years, 50% women, mean work experience 18 years) from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Germany participated in the experiment for 330 seconds on average. To test our hypothesis, we used a two-step approach. First, a multiple linear regression was applied. Second, we carried out a one-way ANCOVA comparing the effects of our design options. RESULTS: Our results indicate that autonomy can be manipulated through technology design and is negatively correlated with stress. Additionally, the design options autonomy and nudge were associated with lower levels of perceived stress than was enforcement. CONCLUSION: The study proposes a careful use of IT and policies that limit the perceived autonomy of employees. Overall, this study offers a set of design recommendations arguing that organizations should implement technology that helps employees prevent overwork and maintain their autonomy.

KW - Business informatics

KW - Technology-induced stress

KW - stress prevention

KW - work autonomy

KW - experimental study

KW - design options

KW - occupational stress

KW - professional autonomy

KW - employee workload

KW - work-life balance

KW - leadership

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/0e64f222-2ab0-3797-8d7f-b3bc28281ed1/

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85168222829&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3233/wor-220177

DO - 10.3233/wor-220177

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 75

SP - 1199

EP - 1213

JO - Work

JF - Work

SN - 1051-9815

IS - 4

ER -